A MAN with an illegal sexual fantasy used computer software to create images of an imaginary child and imaginary adult having sex, a court heard.

Neil McNab, 61, used software, similar to that used to create aliens in science fiction films, to create hundreds of images on his computer of an imaginary boy having sex with an imaginary adult woman, Kate Bisset, prosecuting, told York Crown Court.

But the computer generated images (CGI) he made were illegal under the same legislation that prevents people having sexual photographs or videos of real children being abused.

He told police he had fantasised about a boy having sex with an adult since he was a child.

McNab, of Festival Flats, Fishergate, pleaded guilty to two charges of having prohibited images of children.

He had no previous convictions.

“I don’t consider you a risk to children,” the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris told him.

“This was a personal fantasy. You are otherwise a decent man.”

He gave McNab an 18-month community order with 40 days’ rehabilitative activities to help him overcome his perverted fantasies.

For McNab, Steve Munro said no real children were abused to create the images.

McNab had started to tackle his deviant behaviour through an online course, though he had found the work upsetting, he had also found it helpful.

Ms Bisset said police found 1,557 accessible images and 1,954 deleted images that broke the law on one piece of computer hardware, 58 prohibited deleted images on another and 10 accessible and 26 deleted prohibited images on a third.

The charges related to a period between 2011 and 2018.

Police officers raided his home on June 25, 2018, the court was told.

Anyone who is convicted of having images of real children being sexually abused has to register as a sex offender for a period of time that can be for life, depending on the type and length of the sentence they receive from the court.

Because McNab’s offences did not relate to real children and he did not receive a sentence of two years or more, he was not put on the sex offenders’ register.