Bernie Ward, the 57-year-old former Roman Catholic priest and former San Francisco radio talk show host, was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison under accusations of distributing child pornography.

The trial began in May and the defendant pleaded guilty. The whole incident started in December when the child pornography indictment was made public. At the time, Bernie Ward was hosting a nightly radio show and the station was forced to let him go as soon as the news hit the tabloids.

The police was called in by a Stanislaus County woman who used to exchange explicit Internet messages with him. Unfortunately for Ward, he took it too far and sent the woman a photo of two children engaged in a sexual act. She was extremely upset and outraged by the image and she immediately announced the authorities. In addition to the call, she also helped the police with copies of their conversations, revealing some very disturbing details such as his excitement when his daughter entered the bathroom while he was showering.

The investigators searching his apartment also accessed his personal computer, which contained dozens of pornographic images of children, and even masochistic photos.

During yesterday’s hearing, attended by his wife and four children, Ward admitted sending around 100 photographic images by e-mail, as part of his research for a book and concluded: "I regret my actions, the harm they caused my family, my friends and this community," adding that he takes full responsibility for his actions.

The case against Ward was carefully built and focused on the dangers of such a behavior, presenting him in the worse possible light. "These images depicted these minors suffering the most horrific torment,'' Steve Grocki, a Justice Department lawyer who led the Ward prosecution, said to Walker. "He traded in the currency of human suffering.''

The Internet conversations were also a big factor in the court’s decision. "I find it extremely troubling that a parent would say the things he wrote in those messages," U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said before sentencing him to seven years and three months in prison.

Doron Weinberg, Bernie Ward’s attorney, pushed for only five years of incarceration, citing the letter of support received by his client, his extensive volunteer work and also claiming that the child porn was downloaded for journalistic research.

After getting his master’s degree in theology and spending two years in priesthood, Ward decided on a new direction and left so he could get married. Worked for three years as Barbara Boxer’s legislative assistant and became a reporter for KGO in San Francisco in 1985. In 1992 he became a talk-show host, with nightly debates on politics and other news and also discussed religious issues on a Sunday morning program. His liberal views and outspoken manner were extremely appreciated by the station’s managers and his listeners, but this was not enough to keep him there when the situation escaladed.

Later today is scheduled the official surrender which will begin his 7-year-long prison sentence.