A TWISTED pervert has been sentenced to jail for distributing pornographic pictures of children aged between two and 14.

Lee Glendenning, 31, of Peronne Court in High Street, Uckfield, was given 32 months behind bars after police seized his phone earlier this year and found the disturbing images on there, Hove Crown Court was told yesterday.

Glendenning had pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court last month to possession of indecent images and videos of teenage girls and animals.

He was in custody and appeared in court via a video link.

In total, officers found 15 category A images – the most serious – nine category Bs and two category Cs.

The images were taken in August last year.

Charlotte Morrish, prosecuting, told Judge Jeremy Gold yesterday that the background of Glendenning’s previous convictions should be taken into account.

He already had a sexual harm prevention order in place against him for a previous crime he committed in Devon in 2015.

On that occasion, Glendenning was given a two-year community order for possessing indecent images and taking indecent photos of children.

He was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for four counts of possession and another four counts for distributing them.

Glendenning was also banned from using any device which he could access the internet from.

Yesterday, Siobhan Lawson, defending, told Hove Crown Court that he suffered from learning disabilities and therefore did not have a full mental capacity.

Ms Lawson said Glendenning himself was a victim of abuse during his childhood, and that he was listed under adult social care services.

She said his grandfather used to abuse him when he was young and this was the reason behind him seeking out the images.

He claimed he was remorseful in meetings with police after his activities were uncovered.

Ms Lawson said Glendenning knew what he was doing was wrong.

In his verdict, Judge Gold told the court: “I give full credit for the guilty pleas and bear in mind that he suffers from learning disabilities and has had many difficulties in life.

“Sadly, these offences are extremely serious.

“In particular, the distribution of category A children pornography images.”

In total, Judge Gold gave Glendenning 12 months for the category A counts and the rest for the B and C category images.

He will be on the sexual offenders’ list for ten years after his release from prison.

The judge said Glendenning, who has already been behind bars for a month, must serve at least half of his sentence. Judge Gold orderd the destruction of his phone containing the images.

Members of Glendenning’s family wept in the public gallery as he was sentenced.