A former nurse at Alberta Children’s Hospital, who has been diagnosed as a pedophile, faces prison time after admitting to possession of massive amounts of child pornography as well as distribution of some of it.

Jason Scott Bennett, 42, also admitted that he took a video of himself sometime around 1990 sexually abusing a baby boy less than a year old.

Crown prosecutor Jenny Rees told provincial court Judge Anne Brown on Tuesday that police found more than 6,000 images and 132 digital movies in a search of Bennett’s southwest home more than two years ago.

Rees said the illicit material included posed shots, sexual assaults of children and bestiality, and 80 to 90 per cent of them were of prepubescent boys and girls — many of them infants.

“Right from the beginning this accused has been employed where he is in direct contact with children,” said Rees, who argued for four to six years in prison.

“The tape of himself is the most egregious breach of trust. The boy has medical issues and it is in a hospital setting. Bennett had access to the boy because he was in the profession.”

Rees said Bennett first worked at Alberta Children’s Hospital as a porter, then received his diploma in nursing from Mount Royal College in 1974.

He was unable to obtain full-time employment at the Children’s Hospital as a nurse, so he went to work at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, before returning to Calgary to work in the emergency room at Children’s Hospital in 1999. He was still working there in 1999, shortly before his arrest.

“In all situations, this accused has had a clear interest in children and has always been in front of children,” said Rees. “The fact he says he has no interest in hurting children shows he has no insight into how child pornography hurts children. But by the distribution he was involved in hurting children. And at least one video is of sexual abuse of a very young infant when he was in a position of trust.”

Defence lawyer Gloria Froese argued for a two-year sentence and lengthy probation so Bennett can get counselling.

“He said there was a side of him that chose his career based on the addiction, to be drawn to them in that way to help them.”

She said he has no memory of recording the video of himself abusing a child more than 20 years ago, but does not deny it as his distinct ring is visible.

Bennett told court that he knows child pornography is wrong and came to the realization he was “born with the addiction and struggled all my life.”

“I tried to stop it several times, I tried to control it,” he told the judge. “Right now all I really care about is my children. I want to get help and treatment so I can get back to society and support my family and kids.”

Both Rees and Froese agreed that Bennett should be registered as a sex offender for life, should provide a DNA sample, receive a firearms and weapons prohibition and not attend at any schools, playgrounds, parks, swimming pools or other areas where children frequently attend.

Brown adjourned sentencing until Dec. 3