Christopher Oxtoby, 27, and Katie Scott, 26, were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court today (Friday) for the sick abuse which was discovered when the FBI discovered the film last year.

The pair, of Ashbrow Road, Briar Hill, Northampton, were arrested after information was passed on from the FBI following the arrest of an American paedophile who had the film on his computer.

Pearl Willis, prosecuting, said Scott abused the child and allowed Oxtoby to video it, telling officers she had done it so as to prevent him from sulking.

Oxtoby, who started sexually offending when he was 14, then downloaded it on to a computer but no evidence could be found how it ended up in America.

When police seized one of Oxtoby's 13 computers, they discovered numerous videos and pictures of child pornography, including bestiality and torture of children.

The court heard Oxtoby also admitted sexually abusing the infant, as well as downloading abusive images of children, and an indecent assault on a seven-year-old girl in 1997.

Judge Thomas Corrie jailed Scott for four-and-a-half years in prison, placing both on the sex offenders' register for life.

Sentencing Scott, he said: "It is apparent that you are a needy and not very intelligent young woman. I accept you were not the prime mover.

"This was a serious offence, it may well be that you were led into it but you had various opportunities not to be so led.

"You did not take them but you allowed that photograph to occur and did nothing to prevent it.

Oxtoby was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence for public protection and will only be considered for parole in three-and-a-half years time.

Judge Corrie said they had both displayed and shared a "totally distorted perception of sexuality."

He said: "I do not accept that you have any doubts about your sexual interests or the suggestion that in doing what you did, you were simply trying to find out whether you were attracted to young children.

"It's perfectly clear you are and have been for some time and subsequently you present a high level of risk to any children with whom you may come into contact.

"You clearly have and have demonstrated by your actions an unhealthy interest in young children."

A police spokesman said: "We welcome the sentence which has been passed today. The crimes committed by Katie Scott and Christopher Oxtoby are some of the worst kind that can be committed against children and are totally abhorrent.

"Work from various agencies helped to bring Scott and Oxtoby to justice, including the FBI, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and Northamptonshire Police.

"This kind of partnership working is helping to find the perpetrators of these crimes and bring them to justice, which can only be a good thing.

"We hope that the conviction and sentence issued today will act as a message to those people who continue to abuse children that they will be caught and will be brought to justice."