A FORTY-YEAR-OLD man is facing prison after pleading guilty to showing sexual images to children as young as 13.

Alan Read, of Overcliffe, Gravesend, pleaded guilty to six charges of causing a child to view a sexual act and six charges of making indecent images of a child.

Read was due to be sentenced by Maidstone Crown Court today (October 23), but the case was adjourned until next Friday (October 31) while psychiatric reports on him are completed.

Speaking in court, Judge James O’Mahony said Read’s behaviour had been “pathetic and shameful”.

He added that Read’s conduct warranted a “significant custodial sentence”.

The court heard that Read caused children aged between 13 and 15 to watch a sexual act on six separate occasions in June 2006 while communicating with them over the internet.

On one occasion a webcam was used for the child to view a sexual act.

The court had also heard that Read made 26 indecent images of children on March 23, 2006.

These images were of the level one category which, according to Government guidlines, are “images depicting erotic posing with no sexual activity”.

The sexual acts Read caused the children to watch were also of the level one category, which is the least serious.

Government guidelines on the sentencing of someone who makes level one category indecent images of children suggest a four to 26-week prison sentence.

But the same guidelines say that showing level one category indecent images to children warrants a longer prison sentence.

At the hearing today, Judge O’Mahony released Read on conditional bail.

Read left the court shortly after the hearing and headed towards the centre of Maidstone.

He refused to comment.