NOTE: The Argus has been asked to include the following information to this report:

ON FEBRUARY 5 The Argus ran a court report on the sentence of Andrew Paine.
Paine, formerly of Wordsworth Road, Worthing, was given a community order after admitting two counts of possessing extreme pornographic material, possessing two indecent category B images of children and possessing two indecent category C images of children.
We have been contacted by someone on behalf of Richard Burgess and are happy to state that Mr Burgess rejects claims made at the hearing that he sent photographs of child abuse to Paine, as unfounded and categorically untrue. He is in the process of attempting to clear his name.

POLICE charged a man for possessing indecent images of children he had been sent by a former friend on Whatsapp.

Andrew Paine was sent the vile child abuse messages by Richard Burgess and thought he had deleted them.

But they were still on his Whatsapp account and were discovered when police searched his phone.

Paine was charged with possessing indecent category B and category C images of children.

At Brighton Crown Court it emerged the investigation followed a break-up with his wife.

The court was told that Paine had possessed extreme pornographic images which he had sent to his wife depicted scenes which were “grossly offensive, disgusting, or obscene”.

It was also revealed she had sent similar messages to him.

The worst images showed pictures of women engaging in sex with farmyard animals including pigs and cows.

There were also images of serious injuries to men and women.

Judge Shani Barnes told him that “ignorance of the law is no defence”.

It is understood that Burgess and Paine’s

estranged wife could face investigations for similar charges.

Natasha Dardashti, prosecuting, said Paine was sent the unwanted child abuse images by Burgess.

He had no evidence of searching for such images, and had deleted them from his mobile phone files.

She said Paine, formerly of Wordsworth Road, Worthing, was originally arrested in relation to an “unrelated matter made by his wife”.

Rebecca Upton, defending, asked Judge Barnes to

consider a conditional discharge.

She said it was a “catastrophic” loss of his good character.

Ms Upton tried to suggest the obscene images shared were part of “assumed humorous content”.

Judge Barnes said: “The four moving videos of young children are not trivial.

“It’s not humorous, it’s criminal.”

Paine admitted two counts of possessing extreme pornographic material, possessing two indecent category B images of children and possessing two indecent category C images of children.

Judge Barnes said: “The extreme images were grossly offensive and disgusting.

“Our greater understanding is that the men and women in these images are often trafficked, vulnerable and used.

“They are not done for the pleasure of the people or the animals involved and show the extreme distress of all involved.”

She said that not

deleting the images of the children allowed the crime to continue.

Paine was sentenced to a one-year community order and must complete 20 rehabilitation days.

The judge said he will now be a registered sex offender for five years.

But she did not make a Sexual Harm Prevention Order as he will have to notify police about changes.

Paine must also pay £300 court costs within the next three months.