Downloading child porn on UK computer earns former professor a prison sentence

A former University of Kentucky professor has been sentenced to more than five years in prison on a federal charge of downloading child pornography images onto his work computer.

Chief U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced Neil Mason Williams Wednesday to 66 months in prison for receipt of child pornography.

Provisions of federal law will require Williams, 60, to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.

Williams will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for another 20 years after he is released, and he will have restricted access to a computer during that period of time.

Williams pleaded guilty in December, admitting that he used a file-sharing program to download thousands of child pornography images onto his UK work computer.

UK police arrested Williams in March 2014 at the university's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, where he then worked as associate director with a salary of more than $130,000. He was hired by the university in January 1987.

Court documents stated at the time that police were summoned to the lab and found images on Williams' office computer depicting minors involved in sexual intercourse. The computer was owned by UK.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Downloading child porn on UK computer earns former professor a prison sentence."