Paedophile locked away for abusing two young girls

The 61-year-old was caught with thousands of indecent images on his computer after police raided his home in a separate investigation.

Brunner, of Mayles Lane, Knowle, denied abusing the girls when he was arrested.

But in the end, he admitted his crimes when in court.

The girls were both aged under 10 when the abuse 
took place at various locations.

Jailing Brunner, Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC said: ‘The aggravating factors of course in this case are that the children at the time were very young.

‘It’s extraordinary to think how you could think you could behave to somebody in that way, to somebody that young.’

He added: ‘You have a very deep-seated interest in children and the material you had access to is of a very worrying nature.’

Brunner was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for four years and eight months and put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

A sexual harm prevention order bans him from contact with young children for life.

The court heard Brunner had images of one of the girls on his computer, but it was not of an indecent nature.

Martyn Booth, prosecuting, told how Brunner was found to have 1,530 images of category A, the worst, 1,785 at B, and 14,333 at C.

Brunner had 259 movies at category A, 94 at B and 160 at C.

Mr Booth added chat logs discovered on his computer revealed Brunner had a ‘deep-rooted and unhealthy interest in children sexually’.

Police analysts found he had shared seven images at category B and C using peer-to-peer fileshare software, the court heard.

Bridget O’Hagan, for Brunner, said: ‘He’s deeply remorseful and ashamed of his actions.’

Brunner pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault against a child under 13 and one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of children.

Brunner also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of indecent images of children and one of distributing indecent images of children.