A PAEDOPHILE pensioner has been jailed for eight months for swapping vile images of child abuse on Skype while chatting about his sick fantasies.

John Cranswick, 73, told a like-minded pervert he preferred girls aged eight to ten but "a nice young teen, 13, would do nicely."

Cranswick revealed in revolting internet conversation that he was sexually aroused by children as young as two, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

The retired yachtsman, of Church Street, Brighouse, was locked up by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC, who said a non-custodial sentence would send out the wrong message to other paedophiles.

"You had terrible and disgusting conversations and exchanged indecent images. These cases that involve the sort of contact that you had with others are those that fall towards the worse type of offending of this type," Judge Thomas said.

Cranswick pleaded guilty to seven charges of possession of indecent images of children and a single count of distribution, between 2010 and 2015.

Prosecutor Stephen Wood said 101 of the images were in the most serious Category A bracket, with 157 at Category B and 278 in Category C.

Cranswick admitted to the police that he had exchanged images and chatted to other paedophiles on Skype.

Mr Wood said that, in January last year, the defendant told a man he liked children in school uniform and was sexually aroused by infants as young as two.

Another pervert asked Cranswick for "naughtier ones" as they exchanged images.

Cranswick sent him another photo, commenting: "The ones I have are not too bad really, if I ever get caught."

Mr Wood said the police had investigated Cranswick's online boast that he had abused a girl aged three and were satisfied he was fantasising.

Mark Watterson, Cranswick's barrister, said he had admitted the offences straight away.

He had never physically abused a child, it was bravado while on Skype.

Cranswick had no similar convictions and would find prison difficult at his age.

Judge Thomas said Cranswick had chatted with individuals with the same "vile mindset".

"The message has to go out to other people that are minded to look at this material that punishment will follow," he said.

Cranswick must register with the police as a sex offender for five years and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricts his use of the internet.