A highly respected RAF engineer, earmarked for rapid promotion, was jailed for 27 months yesterday after spending years downloading and distributing “revolting, disturbing and distressing” child porn.

A highly respected RAF engineer, earmarked for rapid promotion, was jailed for 27 months yesterday after spending years downloading and distributing “revolting, disturbing and distressing” child porn.

Philip Taylor, 24, who was based at RAF Marham, downloaded more than 1,900 images of pre-pubescent girls, ranging from babies to teenagers.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard when police analysed his computer they found he had repeatedly shared banned images with no less than 40 other online perverts between July 2005 and May 2008.

He was caught as part of Operation Edgemead, a police investigation which tracked the activities of 300 people who had sent and received emails from a convicted paedophile.

During the course of the inquiry an undercover officer posed as a father who was having an incestuous relationship with his 13-year-old daughter, Katie.

Rebecca Austin, prosecuting, said the evidence showed the senior aircraft technician was quick to strike up a friendship with him.

“The defendant shared personal details, including the fact he was living with his girlfriend in Norfolk, and that was true,” she added.

“His interest was clearly in pre-pubescent girls. He sent two images to the officer, including one of a 14-year-old girl who he claimed was his girlfriend.

“He would normally have been arrested at this time but he expressed an interest in meeting Katie and the police wanted to continue tracking him.”

The court heard that after the defendant's computer was seized, forensic investigators found three immediately accessible images and a further 1,899 deleted images on the hard drive.

Taylor, who lived in staff accommodation at Fen Road, Upper Marham, pleaded guilty to seven counts of making indecent images of children, seven of distributing them and one of possession between July 14, 2005 and May 20, 2008. He has since been dismissed from the RAF.

Passing sentence, Judge David Higgins said: “What is of great significance is that the children ranged from what I will call babies, because that is what they were, to those in the main under the age of 14, although I gather in one case it was 15.

“In short, you conduct is utterly disgusting, despicable and deeply anti-social and I shrink not from saying that. Suffice it to say they are revolting, disturbing and very distressing.”

The judge said he accepted Taylor found himself in the dock because “an act of curiosity developed into an unhealthy interest”.

Taylor had thrown away a career which had promised ``quick promotion' and attracted glowing appraisals, he said. Furthermore, he would find it next to impossible to get a new job that would allow him to use the undoubted skills he had, he said.