A worker at an MoD base who borrowed a colleague's laptop was so concerned about file names on the machine he contacted the police.

And when officers examined the computer they found Anthony Pike had been searching for vile images of child abuse.

The 53-year-old had an array of films of children as young as four being abuse and had put term like 'very young illegal pictures' into search engines.

After saying society was best served by him getting treatment a judge at Swindon Crown Court said he would let him get treatment in society.

But he warned him that if he failed to comply with the suspended sentence in any way then he would go to prison.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said Pike was working at the former RAF base in Lyneham when he loaned out his Dell laptop.

She said the person using the device was concerned about some of the file names and reported the matter rather than looking at them.

When police examined it they found 43 images of child abuse, though only five were still accessible, of which four were movies in the most serious category.

At his home they found a Macbook laptop which had a further 53 images were recovered, only one of which could be viewed.

The court was told that he had also put a variety of terms into search engines such as 'nine-year-old child xxx pic', and 'very young illegal pictures'.

Miss Hingston said that when he was first questioned by police he said that he had only had one computer a short while and the other was second hand.

But he later admitted that he had a porn addiction, which he had taken steps to address, and had looked at things he should not have done.

Pike, of Malmesbury Road, Chippenham pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

Nicholas Wragg, defending, said since his arrest his client had been going to sex addicts anonymous and receiving counselling for his problems

He said that his client had stopped downloading the material about a year before he was found out and had not opened some of the material recovered.

Passing sentence Judge Robert Pawson said "He may not realise this but he has come within an ace of going straight to prison today.

"The only reason he hasn't is there is a chance, a realistic chance and it is not a certainty, that he can be rehabilitated and my role is the protection of female children."

He imposed a 16 month jail term suspended for two years with supervision and rehabilitation activity requirement days and £500 costs.

Pike will also have to register as a sex offender for ten years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for eight years.