A PAEDOPHILE originally arrested for accessing child pornography was exposed as a child rapist by an alert police officer. The detective thought some of the images looked as if they may have been produced locally involving a young English girl, and spotte

A PAEDOPHILE originally arrested for accessing child pornography was exposed as a child rapist by an alert police officer.

The detective thought some of the images looked as if they may have been produced locally involving a young English girl, and spotted a distinctive blue lava lamp in some of them.

When a further search was made of Malcolm Tucker's home in Letchworth GC, the lamp was found and the girl was traced.

She was interviewed by police and became very distressed as she told them how Tucker had abused her on three occasions at his home by making her perform a sexual act on him, which is now classified as rape. She was seven years old, said prosecutor Sally Mealing-McLeod.

Tucker, 40, who was living in Mullway at the time, was jailed for a total of 10 years at Luton Crown Court on Friday. He pleaded guilty to three charges of rape, one of taking indecent photos of a child, 13 of making indecent images, two of possessing indecent photos and movies of children and one of possessing extreme adult pornography.

Miss Mealing-McLeod said Tucker's home was first searched in June 2008 and a large quantity of child pornography was taken away. She said there were more than 6,000 images and movies mostly of girls aged 11-13, but some were younger and some were of boys.

The majority of still photos were of the least serious classification but the movies spanned all five levels of seriousness, she said. The files had been neatly catalogued and stored in sub folders.

"It was as a result of the exemplary skills of officers that the further offences came to light," she said. Police suspicions were aroused when an officer thought he heard Tucker's voice on one of the movies. "He was concerned that he may be the actual abuser," said the prosecution.

When the little girl was traced and interviewed she was unable to speak about the full details but wrote down what he had done to her. Her parents had trusted Tucker to look after her.

Tucker was re-arrested in July this year and gave a prepared statement saying he was suffering a mental disorder. Police also found 11 movie files of extreme adult pornography.

Will Noble, defending, said: "He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to these extremely serious offences and cooperated fully with police.

"He has told a psychiatrist of his shame, anger and disgust with himself. Clearly there has been on going psychiatric difficulties in his life. He will engage in any programmes to ensure he never does anything like this again. He is a broken man."

Judge Richard Foster told Tucker: "You admitted you had been viewing illegal material for some eight years.

"But the most serious offences came to light through the astuteness of investigating police officers, and I commend them.

"Only a very substantial prison sentence is appropriate and I urge you to take advantage of help that will be offered to you in custody."

He also made a lifetime sexual offences prevention order controlling Tucker's future contact with children.