A MAN who viewed child pornography was caught after he accidentally loaned a friend the wrong computer disc, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Mark Honeyborne was found to have downloaded 1,101 images of children.

The friend was shocked by the discovery after borrowing three CD-Rom discs to play computer games.

He went to police, who arrested Honeyborne and then found 8,502 images on his main computer drive. Most were of adult porn but 24 were of child porn, said Nigel Reader, prosecuting.

Honeyborne, aged 24, of Howard Court, Moor Farm, Hereford, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of making indecent pictures.

Judge Andrew Geddes said it was people like him who encouraged the makers of indecent images to abuse and corrupt children.

He had "sufficient grounds" to pass a prison sentence but Honeyborne had no previous convictions and the majority of the child porn was categorised as low level.

The judge passed a three-year community rehabilitation order with a condition that Honeyborne attend a sex therapy programme.

He was also ordered to register with police as a sex offender for five years.

Honeyborne trembled throughout the hearing and was sick in the dock.

On August 1 last year a friend visited him to borrow the discs, said Mr Reader. The friend discovered the porn the same day on one disc. He also received a text message on his mobile from Honeyborne which read: "I did not give you the right CD."

Honeyborne admitted to police that he had an interest in pornography and had a copying facility on his computer.

He had logged on to a special internet site with like-minded people who swapped files with each other.

Rashpal Mondair, defending, accepted that Honeyborne was "right on the edge" of custody.

He had become entangled with other people through his computer and led down the wrong path.

Honeyborne had shocked his friends by behaviour which was normally alien to him. He had no previous convictions and was full of remorse.