A YOUTH worker who sexually abused boys in his care and downloaded child porn from the internet has been jailed for four years.

Stephen Holderness was told by a judge that he would remain on licence for a further six years at the end of the sentence. He was banned from ever working with children again.

Judge Michael Neligan also ordered that the 46-year-old pervert be banned from using a computer which could access the internet until further notice.

Holderness molested two boys, aged nine and 10, when he was supposed to be supervising them. He worked at a youth centre in New Romney when he assaulted one of the boys on a trip to Denmark.

The victim later told police that Holderness visited him in his room in August 2002 and fondled his private parts. He and the other boy claimed they were naked in a swimming pool and sauna in Denmark while Holderness was with them.

Tanya Robinson, prosecuting, told Maidstone Crown Court that one of the boys was abused when he stayed at Holderness’s home. Pictures were also taken of him as he lay on a bed naked.

Holderness, formerly of Tookey Road, New Romney, denied the allegations. He admitted there had been nudity while both swimming and in the sauna on the trip, but denied any indecency.

Holderness, now of De Panys Avenue, Bedford, denied four charges of indecent assault and one of inciting gross indecency. He was convicted of two indecent assault charges and one of inciting gross indecency and cleared of the other two indecent assault charges.

Holderness had at a previous trial been convicted of 10 charges of making indecent images of children.

Miss Robinson said 489 photos of pre-pubescent boys were discovered after his computer was seized. Software was installed to ensure anonymity and remove traces of internet sites visited.

Holderness denied seeing the images before. He claimed he had looked at child porn sites to research child protection issues after attending a Kent County Council course because he was not satisfied about the information from the tutor.

The prosecutor said Holderness had been a youth worker for 25 years and was of previous good character.

Richard Travers, defending, said the offences were at the lower end of the scale. “Over and above that, there is little I can say about them,” he said.

After the police investigation began, Holderness, he said, attempted to take his own life. His mother suffered a stroke while attending his trial. Holderness’s wife watched from the public gallery as Judge Neligan told him that he had sympathy for the state of his mother’s health.

But he added: “The fact remains you were in relation to both boys in a position of trust.”

The mother of one of the victims said afterwards: “We all expected that sort of sentence. Where there are children involved, it should be longer. We are glad that he can no longer work with children and no longer have computers. We are relieved it is over. It has been a long two years.”