A man who posed as a child online and traded pictures with youngsters under 16 has been sentenced to seven months in jail

Philip John Kermode, of Douglas Road, in Kirk Michael, was also found in possession of 110 indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of possessing indecent images of children and one of distribution of the indecent images.

The court heard that Kermode, aged 41, is time served due to the amount of time he has spent on remand.

Deemster Alastair Montgomerie told Kermode: ’The damage done to children in order to produce child abuse images is immeasurable, the children having suffered mental and physical abuse.

’Each time an image is copied or distributed that child is being victimised yet again.’

Kermode was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for five years.

We previously reported how electrical devices were seized at Kermode’s home in September last year.

Police found 86 indecent still images and 24 indecent moving images of children on two mobile phones.

On the Copine scale, which rates the severity of images from one to five, with five being the severest, 71 images were at level 1, 11 at level 2, 14 at level 3, 22 images were rated at level 4 and two at level 5.

It was said that Kermode engaged in chats with people online, on sites such as WhatsApp and RandoChat, and used photos of a child, pretending he was her.

Kermode was said to have used pictures of the child, which were not indecent, to trade and would request pictures back. Many of the people he chatted with were identified as under 16.

When interviewed by police Kermode gave ’no comment’ responses to all questions. He entered a basis of plea accepting he had distributed seven indecent images, all at level one on the Copine scale.

Treatment

Defence advocate Louise Cooil said: ’There is often little mitigation for such offences.

’The defendant was very open and honest with probation. He wants to seek the treatment that is offered to him. He doesn’t wish to reoffend.

’We are dealing with not the highest number of images this court has dealt with in the past. He is not a man who is regularly before the court. He has taken work and education opportunities in prison and is working towards an offence-free future.’

Deemster Montgomerie said: ’People who access child pornography go to prison if they are caught and that is the message that must go out because of the damage caused to these children.’

The period Kermode will be on licence for was also extended by two years.