Karl Ward was found in possession of more than 100 indecent images of children when police caught him in bed with a registered sex offender.
Officers attended Karl Ward’s home in Blackpool to arrest the wanted sex offender and seized three mobile phones belonging to the defendant.
Preston Crown Court heard how the 23-year-old defendant admitted to police at the scene that they would find indecent images and also said he ‘needed help’.
One picture showed a naked boy aged four or five and there were also search terms for paedophile and incest chat rooms.
When the phones were forensically examined by experts they revealed a total of 117 images and videos, including 13 category A, six category B and 98 category C.
The most serious images showed children as young as two years old being abused.
Karl Ward, of Lytham Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children.
Judge Philip Parry said the indecent images found on the mobile phones were ‘utterly deplorable’ and ‘absolutely disgraceful’.
Karl Ward was sentenced to a three-year community order with a 55-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a 45-day accredited sex offender treatment programme and a three-month curfew between 7pm and 7am.
Karl Ward was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
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