A young Wirral father caught downloading thousands of indecent images of children walked free from court today.

Sean Molloy, who had more 3,000 such images on two computers, one belonging to his girlfriend, did not believe there was anything wrong with looking at them, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

The 27-year-old told a probation officer that the girls "were involved because of their own free will and wanted to be filmed."

Judge David Aubrey, QC, told him, "Nothing could be further from the truth. Each and every child depicted in these images were being exploited.

"You having the perception that such children are involving themselves in such activities because of their own free will illustrates to this court that there are severe issues that have to be addressed as far as you are concerned.

"They were not consenting...they were being manipulated and exploited by others who were filming and then distributing such indecent material and they were being manipulated and exploited by anybody examining such material.

"Every image you watched and observed for your own sexual gratification represented the abuse of that child and by observing such images you perpetuated and people like you perpetuate such abuse of vulnerable children," he said.

He added: "Your thought process is completely and utterly flawed."

However, the judge imposed a 12-month jail sentence on Molloy, of Atherton Road, New Brighton, suspended for two years, largely because it was almost two years since he was first arrested for the offences.

He also placed him under supervision for two years and ordered him to attend the stringent Northumbria sex offenders group programme.

The judge also imposed an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order "to protect children from serious sexual harm" and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Molloy pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images and one of possessing them.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said that police raided his home in March 2013 and arrested him on unrelated matters.

His computer was seized and was found to have child porn images on it. In August he was re-arrested in Shropshire where he was living with his girlfriend and more indecent images were found on her computer which he used.

He was again bailed and meanwhile forensic examination revealed a total of 3,596 indecent images on the computers, 465 in the most serious category.

Paul Davison, defending, said Molloy, who has previous convictions including criminal damage and possessing cannabis, was being supported in court by his mother and brother. "But other members of his family are not so supportive."

He was present at the birth of his daughter last September but as a result of the proceedings he has not seen her since.

Mr Davison said it was accepted that he has issues which need addressing and he represents a high risk of harm to children .