A MAN downloaded thousands of child porn images because he had been sexually abused as a youngster, a court heard.
Stephen Gallagher, 51, downloaded more than 17,000 pictures of children being abused, one of which showed a teenage girl being raped.
Gallagher, of Waterside, Bootle, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to 48 charges, including making and possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing the images with intent to distribute them.
The offences were committed on a day before January 11, 2002, and on dates before November 7, 2003.
Ben Morris, defending, said Gallagher had no previous convictions and cared for his 82-year-old mother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
He said Gallagher became estranged from the rest of his family and lived a lonely existence and suffered from depression.
Mr Morris told the court: "Mr Gallagher became more and more introverted.
"He was the victim of abuse himself as a child and throughout his life that has haunted and dogged him, and that led him into this."
Gallagher was given a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years and was banned from working with children.
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