A MAN who downloaded and made thousands of pornographic images of young children was jailed for two years today Friday.

Judge Andrew Patience QC, sitting at Maidstone Crown Court, said the abuse being carried out to the victims in the pictures "beggared belief".

He added that they included babies, as well as "young children, tiny children and children of an age measured in single figures".

John Appleton, 55, had 5,580 indecent images on his computer when police raided the home he shared with his 81-year-old mother in Lorton Close, Gravesend, in May last year.

The court heard the police were alerted by officers in America relating to the use of Appleton's credit card.

Of the 5,580 images, 4,667 were deemed level one - the least serious, with the remaining graded between level two and five, the most serious.

Passing sentence Judge Patience said the offences were "indescribably dreadful".

Lorton pleaded guilty to 12 offences of possessing indecent images of children and five of making indecent images between May 2004 and May 2006.

As part of his sentence Appleton was disqualified from working with children and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

He was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order banning him from owning or using computer equipment capable of accessing the Internet, accept for durng the course of his employment and while under supervision.