A SON downloaded child porn images — but his innocent dad got arrested instead, a court was told.

Lee Scott Robert-Shaw, 23, used the family computer to secretly access a total of 111 images, including six video clips.

Investigations by police subsequently showed that the software used to download photos from the internet only appeared to work correctly in the defendant's name.

He was arrested the following month.

But the earlier arrest of his father David had caused the family distress, Preston Crown Court heard.

Robert-Shaw, 23, who used to work at the McDonald’s fast food outlet, Rising Bridge, was given a two-year community order including a requirement to take part in the internet sex offenders treatment programme.

Robert-Shaw, of Tewkesbury Close, Baxenden pleaded guilty to 28 charges of making indecent images of children.

He was told he will be on the sex offenders register for five years.

The court heard police had gone to his home over two years ago in June 2006.

Mr Hugh McKee, prosecuting, said that on that occasion, his father was arrested and a computer and accessories were seized.

The judge said the titles of material in the case had been explicit and it would have been "blindingly obvious" what would be seen if opened.

The images were said to be of children from the age of one or two, up to 11 or 12 years.

There was no suggestion that any distribution occured.

It was found that images had been downloaded onto the hard drive via a user account in the name of Lee Scott Robert-Shaw.

The software involved only appeared to work correctly for the user 'Lee', said the Crown.

Officers went back to the address in July that year and arrested the defendant.

Robert-Shaw, who had no previous convictions, would have been aged 20 and 21 at the time. The prosecution said the timescale of the downloading was January 2005 to June 2006.

Of all the images found, only one was at the highest level of seriousness, level five.

Mr Robert Platts, defending, told the court: "This is a young man who has learned his lesson the hard way".

"He is never going to come before the courts for anything at all in the future.”

Judge Beverley Lunt considered a number of testimonials on the defendant's behalf, as well as a letter from his mother.

She said in passing sentence: "Let there be no misunderstanding, the only victims of this tragedy are those poor children suffering the most horrendous abuse at the hands of adults in order to satisfy the perverse pleasure that weak minded individuals like you seem to get from this".

She said it was his fault if his family had suffered as a result of publicity about the case.

"You have brought all of this on your head. You are blessed indeed by this family who are standing by you and surrounding you with support.”