A Rowley Regis scoutmaster who collected thousands of sickening indecent images and films of children has been jailed.

James Grisswell, of Brickhouse Road, was jailed for a year at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting 17 charges of making indecent images of children and two of possessing 4,127 indecent photographs and 215 films.

The 43-year-old father-of-one, an assistant cub scout leader at 1st Rowley Regis Scouts, had a collection which included images and films of children as young as four and five years old.

Judge Michael Challinor told Grisswell he had helped to fund the abuse of children by buying and downloading the images, which he described as “loathsome”.

The Judge told him: “You represented yourself as a trusted member of the community and people left their children in your care.

“You then went home to watch this disgusting material.”

The judge told Grisswell his collection of pornography was “well organised” and added: “As a scoutmaster you were expected to care for these children and be vigiliant to protect them from this sort of loathsome material.”

The judge said a deterrent sentence had to be passed so people involved in recreational activities with children would know they would be punished if they downloaded indecent images.

Grisswell was further barred from having any contact with the scout movement for 20 years, banned from working with children for life and told he must register as a sex offender for ten years.

Kanwal Juss, prosecuting, told the court Grisswell was arrested in an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police force into the downloading of child pornography.

Grisswell's credit card details came to light after he bought material and, when his home was raided, officers recovered his collection which had been carefully stored.

When questioned by police Grisswell, a computer programmer who admitted his hobbies included glamour photography, said he had been looking at the material for more than four years.

He maintained he was not sexually excited by children and got no sexual gratification from the images.

Simon Davies, defending, said Grisswell had intended to tell police about the material but realised if he brought it to their attention he would put himself at risk of arrest.