ORPINGTON: Suicidal man already punished'- lawyer

A PAEDOPHILE who filmed himself subjecting a young girl to "appalling and degrading" attacks will serve only a portion of his 12-month prison sentence.

Andrew Berry, of Artington Close, Orpington, was arrested after the National Crime Squad's investigation into the Wonderland Club, which posted obscene images of children on the internet.

Among the images uncovered in the operation was one of Berry and his victim.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how 42-year-old Berry told his GP in 1998 he had been abusing the youngster, before admitting himself to Farnborough Hospital where he explained his crime.

Suicidal Berry, who pleaded guilty to the offences, was handed down the sentence after his lawyer, Rosina Cottage, told Mr Justice Moses his victim could not remember the abuse.

She said: "The punishment, which is commensurate, has already been meted out to him. He has attempted suicide five times."

She then appealed that it could be damaging for him to be placed with other sex-offenders and that a prison sentence be avoided: "The risk of re-offending is negligible. If placed in custody without continuing support, he will be placed with others from whom he has carefully separated himself.

"The seriousness of these offences is all too obvious. They are appalling and degrading. He knows that."

Mr Justice Moses told Berry: "You not only abused your victim, you filmed her so that others could obtain sexual gratification on the internet.

"I accept prison will have a heavy impact on you because of your psychological state. In those circumstances and taking into account your acknowledgement of guilt, I have reduced the sentence to the minimum."

Berry is expected to serve less than half the 12-month sentence, after which he will remain on licence and on the Government's sex offenders register for 10 years.