Sex offender told 'porkies' before admitting charges, judge said

Driver's mate Christopher Dean Jones was found with more than 1,000 accessible images when police tracked down the computer's IP address and visited his home in April 2018.

When they arrived, they also found 23 cannabis plants in a downstairs room, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Prosecuting, Paul Reid said 30-year-old Jones was growing the cannabis for himself because he was sick of using up his wages on the drug and thought he could save cash by growing his own.

When his computer was inspected, officers found more than 532 Category A images of child abuse - the most serious involving children as young as two - along with 346 Category B and 481 Category C.

Jones told the police that he downloaded "massive amounts" of adult porn and said he had no idea why he had the child abuse images.

However, a closer inspection found that he had been searching for them.

Representing himself in court, he gave little mitigation but told the judge he would not commit such crimes again. He has no previous convictions.

He admitted three counts of making indecent images and production of cannabis.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: "You're of previous good character, but you did tell a few porkies before you admitted the offences.

"They are serious offences and it's not an innocent activity."

Jones, of Albany Street, South Elmsall, was given a community order and told to attend sex offenders' programme.

He was also told he must sign the sex offenders register for five years, and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, to limit his internet use.