A CONVICTED sex offender caught with a cache of extreme porn posed as a knight of the realm to travel on first class trains up and down the country, a court heard.

Paedophile William Kirby, aged 38, of Waterside Court, Runcorn, pretended to be knighted by the Prince of Wales in recognition of raising £6million for charity.

Chester Crown Court heard on Friday how Kirby downloaded thousands of ‘shocking, disgusting’ images and videos of children, including a four-month-old baby being abused, and animals.

He used a letter and credit card under fake name ‘Sir Michael Jordan Mitchell’ to live the high life, paying for 27 first class rail journeys worth nearly £30,000.

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said Kirby, also known as Jordan Leigh Scott-Michael, was seen by staff at Runcorn train station boarding trains dressed as a pilot, and with a cast on his leg.

The ‘fantasist’, whose three laptops seized by police contained videos of children aged between three and six being raped, bought tickets on the train as he knew payments would not be processed instantly, and the fraudulent credit card would not be detected.

He told police it was his ‘hobby’ and it ‘excited’ him, according to Mr Hussey.

On February 23, British Transport Police went to the defendant’s home in belief he had stolen a bag from a train.

Two laptops were recovered containing 1523 extreme images and 213 videos, ‘many’ at the most serious category of A.

The court heard Kirby also applied for jobs with Virgin Trains, failing to inform them he has previous convictions for indecent and sexual assault Police returned to the defendant’s house on March 4 and found a third laptop, hidden in a tumble dryer, containing a further 614 pictures, and 31 videos, of children being abused, and women performing sex acts on horses and dogs.

Jailing Kirby for five years, The Recorder of Chester, Elgan Edwards, said: “This is a very worrying picture you present to the court.

“The police take possession of your computers and find pornography of the most enraging and filthy kind.

“It is quite disgusting and you should feel truly ashamed.”

Kirby, wearing a white woollen jumper in court, remained expressionless as the disturbing evidence was read out.

The defendant, who has already participated on a treatment programme for sex offenders, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud, and 31 counts of possessing and making indecent images of children, on March 31.

The offences happened between October 2012 and February 2013.

Stephen Polson, defending, said: “This defendant is a complex individual.

“He is a fantasist evidenced by the guises he adopts.

“He wants to be anybody but himself.

“I’m of the opinion he rather revels in the attention it brings him.”

Kirby was also banned from unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Chris Jones said:  “This was a complex investigation during which we worked closely with CEOP - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre - British Transport Police and Cheshire Police’s Hi Tec Crime Unit. 

"The defendant has been convicted of making and possessing numerous indecent images and videos of children of various levels – the majority of which were on the higher end of the scale. 

"It is important to remember that behind each of these images is a victim of an abhorrent crime. 

"Cheshire Police's Public Protection Unit is committed to tackling this type of crime and working alongside other forces and agencies to bring to justice those who take part in this deplorable crime.”