A sex tourist who carried out attacks on two girls as young as seven in Cambodia was jailed for eight years yesterday.

Father-of-two Mark Towner, 52, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of abuse including sex with a girl under the age of 13, after his wife told police of pictures she found on his computer.

Towner, who was obsessed with pornography, went to Cambodia in May last year on business but preyed on two seven-year-old girls he hired for sex.

Maidstone Crown Court, heard that safety officer Towner, from Cranbrook, in Kent, took pictures of himself carrying out lewd acts with the children and e-mailed them back to the UK.

Towner was prosecuted in the first case of its kind using legislation that allows police in this country to prosecute for sex crimes carried out abroad.

Passing sentence Judge Warwick McKinnon said Towner was a danger to children and passed a longer sentence so that he could receive rehabilitation.

He said: ''These are acts of sexual abuse, grave, indeed they are quite horrendous and horrific offences.

''Children as young as seven and no older than 10 are involved in degradation and they were performed for your own perverted gratification.

''You are a danger to young children and the court must send out a message of determination against people who perform acts on one so young.''

Towner's wife ran crying from the court when she heard the horrific nature of the crimes he had carried out on the children.

She had contacted police when she found two images on his computer that were taken off of the Internet.

Speaking after the case Detective Constable Dave Canning said Towner had more than 600 images of children on his computer.

''In my experience in almost 20 years of police service, these are probably the most appalling photographs that I have seen and they involve very young children,'' he said.

''This case highlights particularly good use of new legislation by allowing the full weight of the law in this country to be brought to bear on Mr Towner.

''The new legislation has allowed us to charge for several serious offences in addition to possession of indecent photos.''

Towner was charged with having sex with a child under the age of 13, three counts of indecent assault and 10 of possessing gross images of a child.

The court heard that Towner had an obsession with pornography.

In 1987 he had been convicted of importing child pornography into the country.

Since Towner was arrested last year his wife has left him and he has lost his job, the court heard.

John O'Higgins, defending, said the origin of his offending resides in an obsession with pornography. It started as an interest in adult pornography but over time it degenerated in other forms.

''He went to Cambodia where that country has a huge sex industry and the availability of girls gave him the temptation where he would never have contemplated before.

''The man who is before you is utterly destroyed and completely overwhelmed by what has occurred to him and finds it difficult to come to terms with.''

Mr O'Higgins added that Towner had an overwhelming feeling of self disgust and has undertaken treatment after contemplating committing suicide.

Towner, wearing a pinstriped suit and glasses showed no emotion as the sentence was passed.

Towner was sentenced to eight years for having sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13, four years for each count of indecent assault on a child and 18 months for the 10 counts of making indecent photographs of a child, all to run concurrently.

Speaking outside the court Towner's wife, who did not want to be named, said she was sickened by what her husband had done.

''I discovered the pictures on the computer and was utterly stunned,'' she said.

''They were disgusting. I want nothing more to do with him and will be getting a divorce.

''You hear about cases like Sarah Payne and it turns your stomach.''