A SEX offender from South Zeal has been jailed for six months after downloading more than 1,600 child abuse images onto his computer and attempting to cover his tracks with cleansing software.

Neill Sobey was spared a jail sentence and sent on a sex offenders’ treatment course in 2014 when he was caught with 2,579 images or movies.

He received a suspended sentence, which expired on March 13, 2016, exactly four weeks before he downloaded more images.

His activity also put him in breach of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) which was imposed in 2014 to control his use of the internet.

Sobey, aged 73, was caught with the software and more than 1,600 images which he had not yet erased during a routine police check at his home in April last year.

A check was made on devices seized from the house and four images at the middle category B and 1,611 images at the lowest category C were found.

There was also evidence of files with incriminating titles, including one called ’pre-teen model’.

After admitting to making indecent images of children and breaching a sexual offences prevention order, Sobey was jailed for six months by Recorder Mr Donald Tait, who also imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered him to sign on the sex offenders’ register for a further seven years.

Mr Tait told Mr Sobey: ’When you received a suspended sentence in 2014 a shot was fired across your bows. You have ignored it. You were subject to an order prohibiting certain types of software. You broke that quite deliberately.

’I take very much into account your age and infirmity and your guilty pleas. If this was your first offence, this sentence would have been suspended; but it is not, so immediate imprisonment is inevitable.’

Mr Barry White, defending, said the four category B images were identical but were found on four different devices. He said the rest of images were far less serious than Sobey was caught with last time, suggesting a de-escalation in his offending.

He said Sobey was isolated from the world at large by his serious health problems and would lose his housing association accommodation if he was jailed for more than six months.

Child welfare campaigners have welcomed Sobey’s sentence.

An NSPCC spokesperson for South West England said: ’Due to his previous conviction, Sobey was a registered sex offender subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to protect others.

’His recent actions represent a deliberate and significant breach of that order. It is right that he has been brought to justice and now faces the consequences of his actions.

’The youngsters in these films and pictures are the victims of unspeakable and horrific abuse and the harrowing experiences they endured for the images to be created should not be underestimated.’

In the 2014 case, Sobey was trapped by an international monitoring operation because he joined a website called Child Love which featured images and movies of toddlers and babies.

They included three movies showing children being forced to have sex by adults and six still images showing sadism or bestiality. Among the images were those of a child of about two being abused and another of a girl aged six to eight who was tied up and wearing a mask.

He also had a movie showing a man kissing and having sex with a golden retriever.

Any adult concerned about a child’s welfare can call the NSPCC’s helpline for free, 24/7, on 0808 800 5000. Children can call Childline on 0800 1111.