A man who admitted possessing an instruction manual on how to sexually abuse children has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Kirk Pears, 38, of Diamond Street, King's Lynn, appeared at Norwich Crown Court for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to one count of making indecent images of children and one count of possessiing a paedophile manual.

In November 2016 police received information about the download of thousands of indecent images of children at an address in the town. Enquiries led officers to raid Pear's home address where they seized a number of electrical devices, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones and external hard drives.

Specialist officers examined the items belonging to Pears, which were found to contain 13,852 indecent images and a manual which contained advice or guidance about abusing children sexually.

The lead officer in the case, Det Con Nicky Gaughan, welcomed the sentence saying: 'This was a particularly awful investigation with specialist officers viewing images which were some of the worst they've ever seen.

'A child is victimised not only when they are abused and an image is taken, but every time that image is viewed by someone.

'We hope such a case sends a strong message out to offenders that the internet is not a safe anonymous space for accessing indecent images. They leave a digital footprint and we will find it.'

Pears was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for two years, for making indecent images. He was given 12 months, suspended for two years, for possession of a paedophile manual. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Police set up the Safeguarding Children Online Team (SCOLT) in 2014 to investigate online grooming and possession and distribution of illegal images. It aims to identify victims who are being or have been abused and work with agencies to put safeguarding measures in place.

SCOLT executes its own warrants generated from intelligence, including referrals from Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), information from other forces and members of the public.

For more information go online to www.norfolk.police.uk.