A pervert who downloaded vile images of young children and babies being sexually abused and degraded has been jailed.
Michael Slota, 39, was given an 18 month sentence after a judge was told it was the second time he had been convicted of making indecent images of children.
Leeds Crown Court heard UK authorities were alerted to Slota by colleagues in Germany and Australia after he uploaded illegal images on sites based in those countries.
Slota was arrested at his then home on Austhorpe Road, Cross Gates, Leeds, and computer equipment was seized.
A total of 2,975 illegal images and movies were discovered. Over 100 images and movies were at level four and five – the most serious kind. The court heard the worst items discovered were entitled “kidnapped” and “raped” and featured appalling abuse.
After his arrest Slota tried to claim he had only accessed the material out of curiosity and did not have a sexual interest in young children.
He failed to appear at court on October 8 this year when it was feared he may have taken an overdose. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he failed to appear again on October 22. Police arrested him on November 16 at Leeds central library when officers found him using their computers.
He pleaded guilty to 21 offences of making indecent images and one of breaching a registration notification. Slota was also convicted of 18 similar offences in 2004 and was given a community order.
James Keeley, mitigating, said his client wanted to address his behaviour while in custody.
Jailing him, judge Tom Bayliss QC said: “You are not a man who is a stranger to the courts in respect of the abhorrent behaviour.
“People like you who download this material encourage the production and the abuse of children in a vile way. You are a persistent user of this sort of pornography.”