A WISBECH man has been charged with possessing more than 800 images of child pornography Forty-seven-year-old Gary Dines appeared before Fenland magistrates on Tuesday, when he declined to enter a plea to 16 different charges Dines, of Money Bank, faces 1

A WISBECH man has been charged with possessing more than 800 images of child pornography

Forty-seven-year-old Gary Dines appeared before Fenland magistrates on Tuesday, when he declined to enter a plea to 16 different charges

Dines, of Money Bank, faces 10 charges of distributing an indecent photograph of a child. One of those images was listed as level 5, which relates to the highest possible severity rating on the "Copine Scale" developed by Cork University in Ireland.

It is alleged that he distributed the pictures, rated from level 1 to level 5, on various dates between August 2004 and October 2005.

On the scale, level one is considered mild, and level five shows images of children involved in extreme sexual practices.

Dines faces five further charges of making an indecent photograph of a child, ranging from level one to level five on the Copine scale. He is accused of committing those offences on various dates between June 2004 and October 2005.

The last charge alleges that Dines was found in possession of 842 indecent photographs on October 26 2005. The charge lists the photographs in order of severity, alleging that 396 were level 1; 24 were level 2; 221 were level three, 184 were level four, and 17 were level five.

After hearing that Dines could face a prison sentence "measured in years rather than months," the court declined jurisdiction, and said he should face trial at Cambridge Crown Court.

Dines was given unconditional bail until a committal hearing on May 20.