A SUTTON Scotney grandfather has received a six-month suspended prison sentence for downloading indecent images of children onto computers on which he stored treasured family snaps.

Peter Bamforth, of Oxford Road, pleaded guilty to 21 charges relating to shots of youngsters aged between eight and 15.

A total of 59 pictures were downloaded between July 2011 and May 2014.

Police were alerted after he shared some of the files.

Bamforth, who was described as a business professional, was smartly dressed in a suit for his sentencing earlier this month.

Winchester Crown Court heard how he had accessed indecent child images for 14 years and also enjoyed adult pornography.

One movie, which the 67-year-old accessed but didn’t save, was of the most serious category of pornographic images, said prosecuting counsel Tessa Hingston.

However a letter from his daughter described him as “gentle, caring and loyal”, as well as “a man of integrity and honour”.

Katie Quincey, defending, said that Bamforth had young grandchildren, whom he sometimes cared for with his wife.

Handing down a six month prison term, suspended for two years, Judge Jane Miller QC said: “It’s always sad to see a man aged 67 in the dock for the first time.

“These are serious offences. You could very easily have gone to prison today.

“You are finally recognising that the activities of someone like you accessing images on the internet are what causes the abuse of children by others.”

Bamforth’s laptop and PC, which were confiscated by police, are set to be destroyed.

But Judge Miller ruled that he should be allowed to remove his family photographs from the computers first.

He was ordered to attend a sex offenders treatment programme and access to his young grandson will be monitored by social services.