A pervert who shared a disgusting video of child being sexually abused has walked free from court.

Alister Reid was caught with his vile collection of images after police were tipped off about the contents of the video he sent to a woman last year.

The 53-year-old also had possession of sickening cartoon image of a child that features in the American Dad programme.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Reid was arrested in June last year and pleaded guilty to the offences earlier this year.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said: “There was a WhatsApp chat between the defendant and an adult female where he sent her a category B image to her that involved a child between six and nine that hadn’t been requested or appreciated.

“In addition, there was a prohibited video and image of a child aged 13 to 15, and there were two extreme pornographic images, one of which the officer describes as the ‘worst he has ever seen’.”

Read more: Sick pervert abused four young girls for almost a decade before he was jailed

Reid, of Broughton Avenue, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to four separate offences – making an indecent image in category B; distribution of a category B image; possession of a prohibited image of a child; and possession of extreme pornography.

Jon Harley, in mitigation, his client was a carer for his two children and turned to using the internet following his wife’s death after he sank into depression.

“He is in a different position now than he was when he was committing these offences,” he said.

“The chatrooms he was frequenting through which he received the indecent images of children are places he is not visiting anymore.”

Judge Christopher Smith warned Reid that if he breached his eight-month suspended sentence any time in the next 12 months then he would be going straight to prison.

He added: “The people who collect child abuse images, even a single one, are furthering the sexual abuse of a child on the other end of a camera and moving images make that even more plain to anyone who sees that sort of material.

“You not only saw that child being sexually assaulted but you thought you would send that image on to somebody else causing them real and understandable shock.”

Reid was issued with a sexual harm prevention order for five years and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years as well attend 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

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