A perverted pensioner who downloaded child abuse images for nine years has been spared prison.
Roger Curtis was caught with more than 1,800 indecent images and videos when police seized his electronic devices.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the children depicted were aged between around two and 14.
Curtis, who admitted viewing the illegal material regularly, has since sought help to combat his distorted desires.
Imposing a suspended prison sentence, Judge Christopher Prince told him: "Harm is done to children when these images are created.
"People going online and looking at them only encourage the creation of more images.
"Every single time a man looks at an image of a child they are committing an offence of a form of voyeurism against that child.
"Every click on every image of a child is a gross insult to the integrity of that child."
It was in August 2019 that police, acting on information, went to Curtis' home and seized his devices.
Police found 83 of the most serious, category A, images, 163 category B and 1,635 category C.
There were also 75 prohibited images of children and one extreme porn image, featuring an animal.
He initially denied responsibility but later gave a prepared statement saying he wanted to admit what he had done and telling how he had started an online course and had a "greater understanding of child abuse".
Curtis, of Monkstone Crescent, Tynemouth, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing prohibited images and was sentenced to eight months suspended for two years.
He was also put on the sex offenders register for ten years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
Nick Lane, defending, said: "He very much regrets his actions and intends to put these issues once and finally behind him and move forward."
