A CONVICTED sex offender who claimed he accidentally downloaded indecent images of children ended up purposely downloading more.

Burnley Crown Court heard that when police raided the home of 41-year-old Matthew Hindle on February 4, 2017, they found computer devices containing hundreds of indecent videos and photographs, featuring the abuse of children as young as five.

Prosecuting, Jack Troup said that in total there were 188 Category A indecent images, the most serious examples of child sexual abuse, 156 Category B and 645 Category C.

Mr Troup said: “The defendant made full and frank admissions to the police during interview. He admitted to having those images at the scene.”

Hindle, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children,

Defending, Daniel Fraser said his client had led something of a lonely existence and lost his £36,000-a-year job as a result of the proceedings.

Mr Fraser said: “In relation to Mr Hindle he presents as a guy who had led a lonely lifestyle. A lot of his friends have moved on, had relationships and had children. He hasn’t. He has somewhat become a recluse. He resorted to searching the internet for what he deemed normal pornography. He seems to have stumbled across the child pornography by accident. It was something that was mislabelled when he first came across it. He was subsequently more deliberate in his search for it.”

Hindle, of Peel Street, Padiham, was given a three-year community order with a requirement to attend a sex offender programme. He must sign the sex offenders’ register for five years and was made subject of a four-year sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Nicholas Barker said: “I consider your remorse to be genuine. I consider when it is said by you to the probation officer that the presence of the police and subsequent discovery of this was something of a relief for you to be true. Because you knew what you were doing was deeply wrong. For a reason only you can answer you seem to have been unable to stop yourself from doing it.”