A Hartlepool man who admitted having sex with his dog and writing pornographic stories about Pokemon characters has been jailed indefinitely for downloading extreme images of child abuse.
Gareth Francis Owen, 22, despised children and was preoccupied by sex, thinking about it 85% of the time, with a particular interest in bestiality, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Already serving five months for causing unnecessary suffering to his Labrador Andrex after he admitted having sex with his pet, Owen was handed an indefinite sentence for public protection after pleading guilty to 17 counts of making indecent images of children, one of possessing them and one of possessing extreme pornography.
The defendant, formerly of Burntoft Avenue, did not react when he was told he posed an ongoing risk to children.
Recorder Jonathan Sandiford, referring to an in-depth probation report, said: "The defendant has a particular interest in Pokemon creatures which are a cross between children and animals.
"The defendant writes explicit stories about such creatures, involving explicit sexual activities with adult males. It gives some indication as to where his interests lie.
"He is almost entirely involved in a world of bizarre sexual fantasies where he struggles to recognise what is normal and what is not. He mixes with similar people online."
Owen, who sat in the dock wearing a baggy tracksuit top with cropped sandy hair and a moustache, was said to have shown no empathy with any of the children shown in the 72 degrading images he downloaded.
He was in contact over the internet with one victim aged about 12, but rather than contact the authorities about her welfare, he merely encouraged her to take part in further depravity, the court heard.
Owen was banned from working with children, will sign the Sex Offenders' Register when released and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.