A FORMER scout leader who kept almost 100,000 indecent images of young boys on his computer has been jailed for a year.

Peter Murphy, 46, admitted multiple charges of making and possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images at Peterborough Crown Court last month.

The court heard that the former scout leader of almost 20 years had collected more than 94,000 images via a network called ‘eDonkey’. His computers contained images of boys aged from young babies to teenagers.

Murphy, of Southdown Road, Yaxley, came to police attention when Child Exploitation Online Protection (CEOP) passed on intelligence about Internet users exchanging child abuse material.

He was traced and officers seized his computers.

Yesterday, Judge Sean Enright sentenced Murphy to two jail terms of a year, two of 10 months and one of nine months, all to run concurrently.

He was also made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 15 years.

Detective Constable Gareth Purdy, who investigated, said: “Murphy downloaded and collected thousands of indecent images of children, some at the most serious level.

“This case should send a message that we will catch up with anyone who accesses or collects such images and they will be put before the courts.”

Andy Baker, Deputy Chief Executive of CEOP, said: “Offenders who think they can use seemingly ‘private’ areas of the Internet, including peer-to-peer technology, for child abuse materials need to think again.

“This conviction and sentence should send the message out to those thinking of engaging in this appalling activity that they will be caught and held to account.”