A MAN who collected more than 30,000 pornographic images of young girls has been found dead the day before he was due to be sentenced.

Stewart Hannah, 46, admitted possessing the sordid collection after police seized a computer and discs from his home.

The product packing manager for Express Gifts, Accrington, was due to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court yesterday but was found dead at his home in Nelson at 2am on Thursday.

Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious but a post mortem examination would be carried out to establish the cause.

Last month Blackburn magistrates heard how Hannah's collection included 30 images classified as 'level five' which featured sadism or bestiality causing pain to an individual.

More than 300 were of the next level down and many of the images were of girls under the age of 10.

He pleaded guilty to 45 specimen charges of possession and making of indecent photographs of children.

As well as the level 4 and 5 images there were 860 level three, 3,256 level two and over 25,000 level one.

David Lawson, defending, said the married father of children aged 16 and 14 had made a full and frank admission to police as soon as he was questioned.

He said his client recognised he had to deal with his problem which was out of control and was willing to undertake whatever was necessary.

Hannah was sent on bail to Preston Crown Court for sentence after district judge Paul Firth ruled that his powers of sentence were inadequate.

Hannah was discovered dead in an upstairs room at his Newport Street home in Nelson.

A police spokesman said: "He was found dead in his home at 2am in a suspected sudden death.

"There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a post mortem will be carried out in due course."

Hannah's wife said the family did not wish to talk publicly about his death.