During sentencing submissions in Wollongong Local Court on behalf of Shane Thomas Thorne, barrister Jane Healy said the community quite rightly took umbrage at offences of child pornography.

Thorne, 34, of Carroll Rd, has pleaded guilty to one charge of using the internet to access child pornography and one charge of possessing child pornography between August 27 and September 24 last year.

The court heard Thorne had a long-term addiction to adult pornography and had tens of thousands of legal images in his possession when federal police raided his home on January 7.

During a search of the premises the officers seized a computer and computer discs, which were later found to contain images of child pornography.

"It was during the course of this addiction that he sought material that was more titillating, more on the edge," Ms Healy told the court.

She said Thorne had made no attempt to disguise his identity when he used his own credit card details to pay for more than 1000 images from an overseas website.

The court heard there was no suggestion Thorne had engaged in trafficking of child pornography, or that he was a paedophile.

Magistrate Paul Johnson will sentence Thorne on November 17.