A TAVISTOCK man has been banned from associating with unsupervised persons under the age of 18 for five years, after being convicted of dowloading images of child pornography onto his computer. John Ellis, a vehicle engineer of Plymouth Road, Tavistock, admitted six charges relating to the images when he appeared before Plymouth Magistrates last Friday. Ellis, 35, used his credit card to obtain around 1,000 images of children between April 2003 and October 2004. Police in America informed British authorities when they came across Ellis?s details while investigating an American company supplying the images ? local police searched his home and seized his computer. Magistrates were told the images were mainly in the least serious category, but one was of a more serious nature. The court heard Ellis, who was of previous good character, was ?interested? in the images but denied having any sexual interest in children. He was said to be ?deeply ashamed? of his actions. Ellis was sentenced to 120 hours? community service and ordered to pay £55 costs. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders? Register for the next five years and banned from filming or videoing anyone under the age of 18, or possessing a computer, camera or phone camera for five years, except at work.