AN IPSWICH man has admitted downloading graphic cartoon porn images featuring child characters from The Simpsons and The Powerpuff Girls TV shows.

The 28-year-old is now a registered sex offender and will have to report to police after pleading guilty in Ipswich District Court to having the bizarre images on his computer.

Police went to Kurt James Milner’s Leichhardt home on January 24, 2008 after receiving an anonymous tip-off about the disturbing material.

Milner told police he would co-operate but did not want to give them his computer.

But an hour-and-a-half later he phoned police and said they could now have his computer.

Officers discovered the computer would no longer turn on but a year later police forensic experts recovered 64 images of cartoon child exploitation material in the machine’s recycle bin.

The images depicted figures from The Simpsons, The Powerpuff Girls and The Incredibles in sexually explicit positions.

Milner, a former security guard, told police he downloaded the images to show them to his friend “because he believed they were funny”.

He pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to access child exploitation material.

Milner was sentenced to 12 months jail but it was wholly suspended for five years. A conviction was recorded.

He was also given a $1000 good behaviour bond for five years.

Crown Prosecutor Suzanne Cantatore said the sentence needed to be harsh as it was Milner’s second conviction for having child exploitation material.

The Leichhardt resident was convicted of possessing child exploitation material in 2003 after 59 sexual images of actual youngsters were found on his computer. He received two years probation with no conviction recorded.

“Although these offences involve cartoon characters it is nonetheless serious especially since he has a prior conviction for child exploitation material,” Ms Cantatore said.

Defence lawyer Matthew Fairclough said his client did not get any sexual gratification from the cartoons.

“It was more about amusement,” Mr Fairclough said.

Mr Fairclough said his client complied with his previous probation order but was never offered any counselling.

Judge Deborah Richards said the offences were particularly serious as Milner had history for the same crime.