A PAEDOPHILE, who once worked as head of legal services at Hertfordshire County Council, has been spared jail despite having nearly 6,000 indecent images of children on his computer.

Depraved Andrew Laycock, 59, of Mandeville Road, Hertford, who was the county council’s legal chief until October 2009, collected the sick child abuse images while he worked for the authority.

The list of charges against Laycock included 17 counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of more than 5,700 indecent images, during June last year.

But despite the charge sheet, the pervert avoided jail at St Albans Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) after being found guilty at an earlier hearing.

He was handed a 26 week sentence, which was suspended, with supervision, for two years.

He was also ordered to cough up �1,600 in costs, attend a sex offenders’ treatment programme and was slapped with a sex offences prevention order for five years.

His name will also be added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years.

Restrictions were also placed on Laycock’s internet usage.

• For reaction to the conviction see next Wednesday’s Welwyn Hatfield Times.