CHILD SEX PICTURES IN HOUSE; Man `lucky to escape jail term'.

Byline: LYNDA ROUGHLEY

A MERSEYSIDE man who had more than 100 indecent images of young children on his home computer has narrowly escaped jail.

Simon Berkson, prosecuting, told Liverpool crown court that in Dececember 2000 the obscene publication squad of Greater Manchester police began to monitor internet chat rooms and identified several which appeared to be directed at paedophiles.

On January 6, 2001, an internet user responded to an advertisement for paedophile material and that user was traced to Simon Triggle's home, although the prosecution could not say the individual was Triggle.

During a search at his home in Elmswood Grove, Huyton, on March 27, three personal computers were seized, including one belonging to Triggle, plus zip disks, floppy diskettes and CD roms.

When interviewed Triggle, 22, told officers he knew ``quite a bit'' about computers but claimed he not know who accessed the paedophile sites.

He denied he had indecent images of children on his computer but admitted that he had accessed pornographic sites and that once he had entered a site containg child pornography but that he had immediately left it.

When his computer was examined a number of indecent images of female children were recovered as well as some cartoons of an indecent nature and images of clothed female children in provocative poses.

Triggle was again interviewed by police and admitted they came from a zip disk which he had obtained from work and loaded onto his hard drive.

He said after he had found out what it was ``he wanted to get rid of it'' but had not deleted the material immediately because he had to go out and had forgotten to delete it on his return.

Paul Becker, defending, said: ``This is an isolated case of personal use. He does not have a problem with children. He was curious with these images. He is absolutely terrified of going to prison.''

Triggle had pleaded guilty to eight offences of making indecent photographs.

Sentencing him to a 150-hour community punishment order and ordering him to sign on the sex offenders register for five years, Judge Ian Crompton said: ``Any indecent photograph of a young child can be very offensive to ordinary people.

``You can count yourself a very lucky young man that you are not going to prison.''