Paedophile stored up almost 9,000 indecent images of children

The cache of images police discovered saved on James Moore's hard drives included a "compilation video", featuring a baby less than a year of age.

Norwich Crown Court heard on Tuesday police raided Moore's home at Sturdee Avenue in Great Yarmouth in September 2018.

They had become aware of suspicious activity from his IP address, and they seized a mobile phone and five computer hard drives.

Moore, 34, admitted making 8,688 images and 99 films when he appeared at the crown court in August.

"He made full and frank admissions to the police that he has an interest in and takes sexual gratification from looking at the material," said prosecutor Andrew Jackson.

"He had been doing it for a number of years - two years on the evidence.

"Police found numerous searches he had carried out on the internet.

Moore also used TOR browsers and a ghost programme to try to hide the images and obscure his internet search history, Mr Jackson said.

"He admitted that he downloaded this material, saved it to the external hard drives then deleted it from the computers," he said.

"Across these offences are a perpetuation of the dreadful abuse that takes place but there is no evidence of this defendant seeking out children for sexual contact. He is a viewer of abuse rather than a physical abuser."

Andrew Thompson, mitigating for Moore, said his relationship had been "irretrievably affected", and he had lost his job.

"Mr Moore is an entirely appropriate candidate for a diversionary disposal given his conduct during these proceedings and his lack of previous convictions," he said.

"He has lost his good job because of these proceedings and he is anxious to return to a meaningful existence."

Judge Katharine Moore, sentencing, said the case was "particularly serious because there are a large number of images".

"In certain instances those depicted were extremely young, particularly and one-year-old, three-year-old and five-year-old," she said.

"You went to some lengths to ensure your activities would not be detected.

"The sentence most in the public interest is the one which means you never offend in this way again."

Moore was given 11 months in prison, suspended for 21 months.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, and ordered to carry out the Horizon programme, along with up to 25 rehabilitation days.