American Idol contestant sentenced to 70 years in prison for possession of child porn

A former contestant in the television talent show American Idol has been sentenced to 70 years in prison, after 'horrific' images were discovered on his computer.

Brandon Cox (26) was found guilty of seven counts of possessing obscene material featuring children under the age of 17. Because of the graphic nature of the 157 videos and images, the judge imposed the maximum 10-year sentence for each count. Speaking after the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Kristy Peoples commented:

‘We are talking about toddlers, sexual penetration, oral sex, and the horrific nature of these photos and the quantity of the photos,’ ADA People said after the sentencing. ‘I think that is why the judge did impose the sentence we asked for.’

Peoples told WSFA that the state's key concern was protecting Cox's four-year-old son:

"It was a huge concern,” she explained. “Most of the children in these images and videos were male toddlers and younger male children.”

Cox appeared in the 2012 series of American Idol, auditioning for Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler. His performance won him a Golden Ticket to the next round of auditions in Hollywood. The performer denied the charges throughout his trial in Elmore County, Alabama, claiming he  had only ever used his computer to download music.