Sentence update

Well done Lords Gill, Hardie, and Lady Paton for ruling that a sentence of six months prison term was unduly lenient for the paedophile convicted of downloading thousands of child porn images and increasing the term to six years and four months.

As pointed out by a NSPCC spokesman in your article ("Judges boost lenient sentence" 28 May), "receiving or downloading abusive images of children is a serious offence. Every time someone downloads one, they support this vile trade and the abuse of real children."

I couldn't agree more. This type of crime is not a victimless crime.

However, having praised our senior judiciary I would have to say that I am dismayed by how often I read of cases where sheriffs and judges pass non-custodial sentences for downloading child abuse porn and then jail benefit fraudsters and other minor criminals for offences which pale into insignificance compared with those that promote child porn.

TOM MINOGUE

Victoria Terrace

Dunfermline, Fife