A university worker who set up a fake Twitter account received a two-year community order on Friday for child porn offences.

Dr Ian Connor, 53, of Ruthin, must do 150 hours unpaid work and a five-year sexual harm prevention order was made. He admitted distributing three indecent images of children in the worst category and making 41 others mainly in the lowest category of seriousness.

Judge Huw Rees at Caernarfon crown court said Connor had been employed in education for many years but had been involved in on-line chat of an “extreme” nature during which he’d expressed a desire to go “kiddie hunting”.

The judge told Connor: "You should be entirely ashamed of your actions as I think you are. Showing any interest in such images creates a demand for further abuse of children.”

The court heard police had visited his then home at Colwyn Bay in October.

Prosecutor Kevin Jones said Connor had a mobile phone and computer and had used Bangor university wi-fi.

Judge Rees said Connor had been made redundant, not linked to his arrest, but had a new job. He wasn’t allowed to work in education and his marriage had suffered as a result of his arrest.

“Imprisonment is a real option here. It would be a relatively short sentence,” the judge said. Instead he made a community order to tackle Connor’s “perverted lust” for viewing child porn.

Connor’s barrister said internet perverts would engage in “banter” with no real intention to carry out an act.