Gulf War veteran gaoled for kiddie Web porn

A Gulf War veteran was gaoled yesterday for two-and-a-half years after being found guilty of possessing almost a quarter of a million images of child porn downloaded from the Net. Former Royal Navy communications engineer Andrew Mein, 43, of Leigh Park near Havant, was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court in what police believe is the largest stash of its kind. Sentencing the paedophile, Judge Tom MacKean said he was satisfied that Mein did not accumulate the material to distribute. Unlike many sex offenders, Mein was not part of a paedophile ring but used the images for his own perverted pleasure. "We believe this to be the largest seizure of child images from the Internet in this country," PC Mick Brown, of Hampshire Police's vice squad, told the Portsmouth News. Mein claimed that his kiddie porn habit only started because he suffered a "character change" after fighting in the Gulf War. Mein has been placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and had all his computer equipment destroyed. Last month, a teacher and former Tory parliamentary candidate was jailed for child Net porn offences. Michael Powell, 51, was sentenced to three years by Cardiff Crown Court for downloading 16,600 pictures of children from the Web. ® See also: Paedophile Net convictions Geologist indicted for receiving child porn via Net Paedophile priest on trial in US Journalist guilty in kiddie porn case Child porn protection and civil liberties US judge blocks Web kiddie porn law Web sites liable under law of country where accessed Porn ruling raises UK law over Net freedom Anti porn campaigners and politics More cash needed to fight kiddie Web porn war Kiddie Web porn banned in Japan Kiddie porn stunt fails to hit Euro leaders British monarchy besieged by Net child porn stunt UK government thumbs up for anti-child porn watchdog United Nations targets child porn Mr Net Nanny awarded by online angels Children sometimes see adult porn on The Net too Updated: Excite pulls porn off kiddie-friendly search engine Net is 'rude' complain kids