A PAEDOPHILE who was jailed for three years in 2013 after attempting to incite a nine-year-old to engage in sexual activity was back in the dock after being caught with child pornography.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Adam James Thomas was put on the sex offenders for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order following his 2013 conviction, which also saw him prosecuted for possessing and distributing hundreds of indecent images of children.

As part of the sexual harm prevention order the 37-year-old must present any electronic devices capable of accessing the internet to the police for inspection when requested to do so.

And it was during a visit to Thomas’s home on October 13 that police found him in possession of more indecent images of children.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker said: “The defendant was asked if he had any electronic devices which were capable of accessing the internet. Three were seized, including a Lenovo tablet. The Lenovo device was sent for analysis. Images were recovered from that device. They were all created in October 2017 over a period of a week.. There were certain admissions in interview to say they were there.”

In total police found dour category A images, which feature the most serious examples of child sexual abuse, 15 category B images and three category C images.

Thomas, of Keighley Road, Colne, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Defending, Brendan O’Leary said his client had been making good progress but had relapsed into his old ways because of the bad publicity following his 2013 conviction.

Mr O’Leary said: “He is remorseful. He accepts full responsibility. He is distraught about putting his family back through the rigours of what they suffered three years ago.”

Warning Thomas that he would be jailed if he appeared before the courts again, Judge Beverley Lunt said: “The only thing that saves you from an immediate period of imprisonment is the fact there are very few images. I have read the pre-sentence report about you. Everything seemed to be going well. It would have seemed the courts were never going to see you again.”

Thomas was given a 16 month sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to complete a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement as an accredited sex offenders programme.