Offences committed by a former English teacher caught up in an international investigation into child porn were at the lower end of the seriousness scale, a Wollongong magistrate said yesterday.Christopher Michael Johnson (pictured) of Bulli was given a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of using the internet to access child pornography and possessing child abuse material.The 62-year-old was arrested in October last year after a long-running investigation into an internet paedophile ring in which he allegedly used the name Ding Dong.His solicitor, Paul Paine, said police only found one image on his computer and it dated back to 2005.He said the child abuse material related to letters and jottings he had written about his attraction to young boys, dated to the 1990s and were for personal use."There is no allegation he disseminated them," Mr Paine said.He said Johnson was aware his desires and fantasies went against society's norms, but there was no suggestion he acted on them.Mr Paine said Johnson suffered from mental health issues but was trying to address that with treatment and medication.The court was earlier told Johnson had worked as a teacher in the United Kingdom before he moved to Australia 25 years ago.Mr Paine said all he could say on that was that Johnson had taught English.Magistrate Ian Guy said although the offences were at the lower end of the scale they could not be described as trivial.He said the one image related to a boy aged between eight and 10 standing naked next to a pool.Mr Guy said the letters described as journal entries relating to Johnson's desires were offensive and disgusting, but there was no suggestion they were a reflection of what he had done to young people or that he had intentions to carry out his desires.He said while Johnson had admitted to having a relationship with a 12-year-old boy in the UK in the '70s, that had not been subject to a charge.Mr Guy said Johnson had no record in Australia for child sex offences.He stipulated the suspended sentence involve probation and parole supervision and attendance in the Sexual Offenders Treatment Program.He also placed Johnson on a separate three-year good behaviour bond.