A CHILD porn convict has appeared in court after failing to take part in a sex offender programme.

Macaulay Yates-Culkin was sentenced to a three year community order including supervision and participation in the sex offender programme after being convicted of possessing 20 indecent images of children and of making two indecent images of pre-pubescent children.

But Kate Hammond, appearing at Bolton Crown Court on behalf of the probation service, said Yates-Culkin's excessive drinking had meant he had not engaged with the programme.

She told Judge Peter Davies that 39-year old Yates-Culkin was caught when staff at the Max Spielmann photo printing shop in Bury became suspicious of him as he printed off images he had on his mobile phone in April 2013.

When they checked their machine's memory after he had gone they found he had been producing indecent images of children.

He returned to the shop the following month to print off more images and they contacted police.

In total police found he had 277 indecent child images, including 54 in the most serious category, as well as 2994 images of Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, pop star Justin Bieber and young boys.

When police searched his home they discovered baby bottles, boys' clothing and a school attendance record containing a boy's name.

Mark Shanks, for Yates-Culkin, of Roseneath Road, Great Lever, said the offender has mental health difficulties and heard voices on a daily basis.

"He drinks to alleviate his own psychiatric problems. He has become an alcoholic because of it," he said.

Judge Davies summoned Yates-Culkin to the witness box where the drinker told him he consumed three litres of cider a week and sniffed butane gas.

The judge resentenced him to three years' supervision and to engage with the Northumbria Sex Offenders' programme, telling him he had to give up drinking in order to do so or face going to prison.

"I want to make sure you are not a risk," Judge Davies told him.

"Stop it [drinking] and stop thinking about little boys."