A FORMER university lecturer led a double life after becoming secretly obsessed with collecting indecent images of children.

By day, Richard Byrne was a respected academic working at Liverpool Hope University.

But Liverpool Crown Court heard he spent his evenings chain smoking, drinking and searching for more and more sordid images.

His secret came to light when police raided his home and his computer equipment was seized.

When experts analysed the machine, they discovered a staggering total of nearly 150,000 indecent child porn images and video clips.

The court yesterday heard that 32-year-old Byrne was relieved when the police arrived at his home last October. He admitted he had initially watched adult pornography while out of work, but this led to him looking at sexual images of children.

Peter Killen, defending, said: “It had begun to take over his life.

“He is now motivated to make changes and has gained insight into his own failings.”

Robert Jones, prosecuting, said most of the images were in the lowest category, but there were 78 at the most serious level, involving bondage, and six video clips in the second most serious category. The court heard the bondage images had been simulated.

Byrne, of Arch View Crescent, in the city centre, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of downloading child porn between September 27, 2007, and October 15 last year.

Sentencing him, Judge Graham Morrow, QC, said Byrne, who has never been in trouble before, had told a probation officer that looking at the images had “dominated” his spare time.

He said: “You distanced yourself from your social network with family and friends as you gained a greater level of satisfaction from looking at images of a sexual nature.

“You described your behaviour as becoming obsessive, chain smoking and drinking heavily through the evenings while searching for images.

“You also described your life as almost a double life. You are deeply ashamed of your behaviour.”

The judge added that since the offences came to light Byrne, “who has a fine academic record” has lost his university job and had to move out of his flat as he could not afford to live there.

It is understood Byrne taught history before leaving the university in October, 2009. Byrne’s family have now broken off contact with him and he is now living in supported accommodation.

Judge Morrow imposed a three-year community order and ordered him to attend the Northumbria sex offenders programme. He also ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years, and made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his internet use for the same period.