A pervert from Bexleyheath was told by a judge he should feel “extremely grateful” to his lawyer as he was spared jail for viewing child porn.

Sean Steer, 49, of Cotswold Close, pleaded guilty to viewing thousands of sick images and videos.

A search warrant was executed on his home after internet data showed someone at his address had been downloading illegal images.

When police raided his family’s property and questioned Steer, he admitted he “had looked at a couple of web pages he shouldn’t have”.

It total he had downloaded 5,494 indecent images and 908 indecent videos of children, with 846 videos being classed as being category A, the most serious level of child pornography.

Steer pleaded guilty at Bexley Magistrates’ Courts to the charges on March 6 and appeared at Croydon Crown Court for sentencing on April 7.

Judge Peter Gower told Steer he had originally believed the case to be serious enough for a prison sentence.

But Eva Niculiu, representing Steer in court, had handed the judge an 40-plus-page document detailing his remorse and steps he had taken to rehabilitate himself.

Judge Gower said: “You should be extremely grateful toward Ms Niculiu.

“You are clearly a hardworking family man who is loved by his sons and I have no doubt you feel remorse for your actions.

“There are some people who regard viewing of child pornography as an offence without any victim.

“Every image as a crime scene. Every child in an image is a victim.

“It simply encourages people making them to continue on doing them. That is what you need to have in mind.

“I accept your genuine feeling of remorse and the steps you make towards rehabilitating yourself.”

Steer was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid community work, barred from working with children put on the sex offenders register for five years.

Judge Gower, speaking to Ms Niculiu, said: “If someone wanted a paradigm of how to represent a defendant then look no further than this.”