Peter Wilby, 78, admits having a sexual interest in children and viewing abuse images for decades.
Image source, ShutterstockA former Independent on Sunday and New Statesman editor has been sentenced for making indecent images of children.
Peter Wilby, 78, was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at his home in Essex in October.
Wilby admitted to officers he had a sexual interest in children and had been viewing indecent images since the 90s, while employed by national titles.
He was given a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for two years at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Investigators found 167 indecent images of children, 137 of which were Category A images, the most serious.
‘Betrayed trust’
He admitted three charges of making indecent images of children.
Image source, NCA
Adam Sprague, operations manager at the NCA, said: “The material accessed by Wilby and recovered from his computer showed real children being cruelly and sexually abused.
“He was viewing this content while working as the editor of prominent national news outlets, a role in which he was entrusted to form the news agenda for the British public. A trust which he has greatly betrayed.”
Wilby was also given a rehabilitation requirement of 40 hours is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or get in touch via WhatsApp on 0800 169 1830