Oklahoma City man cries as he asks for leniency on child porn sentence

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ An Oklahoma City man wept as he sought leniency Friday in his punishment for a child pornography conviction. <br/><br/>Tony Martin Davis pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child

Saturday, July 9th 2005, 11:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ An Oklahoma City man wept as he sought leniency Friday in his punishment for a child pornography conviction.

Tony Martin Davis pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography and was given a federal prison term of nearly six years.

Authorities seized about 10,000 pornographic images from Davis' home last August. About 4,000 of them depicted children, they said.

``When officers came to my door it was the worst day of my life, but it was also the best day,'' said Davis, 47, as he tearfully asked U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton for a lighter sentence. ``It allowed me to get the help I needed.''

Defense attorney John W. Coyle noted a psychologist's report attributed Davis' obsession with pornography to depression and a lack of self-confidence.

Coyle urged Heaton to consider a sentence shorter than the minimum 70-month term recommended by federal guidelines, but Heaton gave Davis the 70-month term.

``He's helped everybody he possibly could. That's why all these people are here today,'' Coyle said, gesturing to about 40 people seated in the gallery. ``But he couldn't help himself.''

Prosecutor Rozia McKinney-Foster questioned the argument Davis was entitled to leniency because he was ``only'' a collector of pornography.

``If there were no collectors, we wouldn't have people out there abusing children'' to create child pornography, McKinney-Foster said.

Heaton said he was convinced Davis represents a low risk to the public.