A PERVERT who was caught with thousands of child sex images just one month after being released from prison for the same offence is again behind bars.

Robert Coomber, of Oswestry Road, New Hinksey, Oxford, admitted three counts of possessing indecent images and three counts of making indecent images, some depicting children as young as 4.

He was also in breach of a previous sexual harm order, having been jailed in 2015 for indecent images charges as well as incitement of a child to engage in sexual activity.

Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing yesterday how the 53-year old had had monitoring software installed on a specialist computer he was in possession of.

When this software experienced an update in July it quickly identified the presence of indecent images, and Coomber was arrested.

As well as seizing and analysing the computer, police searched his house and discovered three re-writeable discs, one of which was found to contain thousands of indecent images.

Together with the computer and disc he was found to have 297 images and videos of the most severe category – A – 628 of the second most serious – category B – and 5,960 of the third tier of severity – category C.

In mitigation, Lucy Ffrench said her client had taken steps to tackle his addiction to viewing the images and was committed to changing, adding that he was both remorseful and regretful at what he had done.

Jailing Coomber, Judge Maria Lamb said: "The sort of thing that is done to these children so that this material can be created is without a doubt likely to lead to psychological and physical harm.

"You accept that this is a re-victimisation of children and you accept its now time to stop.

"You are a highly intelligent man and you are, as I think you accept, addicted to this sort of thing. Children require protection from you."

She handed Coomber a 16-month prison term for the breach of a sexual harm order and a combined total of 24 months for the six indecent images charges, to run consecutively – totalling 40 months.

His sentence is also subject to an extended period of three years on licence and he will remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.