The sick men who download child pornography from the internet must be removed from society and face the toughest sentences a court is able to impose.

Two of these men from Sussex, together with five others, yesterday pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute these disgusting pictures on the world wide web.

These men will be sentenced for their vile behaviour at Kingston Crown Court in London on February 12 and 13.

The courts must ensure such people are removed from our community for the longest period possible.

They must be removed from our communities by the criminal justice system as they have breached society's unspoken code that all adults have a moral responsibility to children.

They have broken that code and do not deserve leniency or a second opportunity to spread their sickness around the world.

Currently our courts are only able to sentence these people to three years but the Government is considering increasing the penalties. This must be done immediately to protect our children.

The internet is a technology which is continually developing, but the justice system is notoriously slow and is losing pace with the changes in society.

But where children are concerned it is vital penalties for such horrific crimes are increased.

There is no excuse for even looking at such vile pictures of children on the internet let alone downloading or sharing them with other individuals.

The Government must do all it can to prevent this happening again.