A CHILD pornography addict who showed a young boy indecent images before sexually assaulting him, has been jailed for almost three years.

Steven Maitin, 52, showed the boy child pornography on a computer before encouraging him to touch him. Once the boy did, Maitin then sexually assaulted him by touching.

Aylesbury Crown Court heard that Maitin, of Green Hill, High Wycombe, had nearly 8,000 indecent images of children stored on a computer and showed some of a serious level to the child.

The incident happened in December last year and the boy's mother said her Christmas had been "ruined" when she found out.

Maitin was looking at child pornography images on the com- puter, clad only in underpants, when the child wandered into the room, the court heard on Wednesday.

Judge Seddon Cripps said: "What should have happened is that the child never should have seen the screen and when he was in the room you could have done something to stop the uninvited guest seeing what was on your screen.

"He made inquiries and you should have stopped him, but you didn't do that.

"You showed him more images including what must be level three images of children on your computer. This excited his interest. You were already aroused sexually."

The court heard that following a conversation between the two, the touching took place.

It was only when the boy described what had happened to his mother that Maitin was arrested by police and interviewed.

Judge Cripps said: "She simply couldn't believe what had happened."

Maitin's computer was seized and the thousands of indecent images discovered.

Judge Cripps said: "These were all stored on separate files and shows you had sub-headings giving you as the owner and storer of this filth - an indication to what it was when you decided to open them."

Defending Maitin, Adrian Chaplin, said the incident was not pre-planned and his client had "panicked" when the boy wandered into the room.

He said Maitin had "inappropriately" taken it upon himself to have a conversation with the child and that the incident had not taken place over an "extended period" of time.

He said: "His remorse is very real which has been realised by the author of the pre-sentence report and the sense of shame that he feels for these events."

At an earlier hearing, Maitin was convicted of causing or inciting the child to engage in sexual activity, and sexually assaulting him.

He was also convicted of 12 counts of downloading indecent photo- graphs of children and possessing the images.

Sentencing Maitin to imprison- ment for two years and nine months, Judge Cripps ordered his computer to be forfeited and banned him from working with children.

He said: "You admitted everything. You had no choice, but you did at least stand up and admit everything. I give you every possible credit I can.

"There must be an immediate custodial sentence."