A Beccles sex offender with a “hideous preoccupation” with child porn has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sixty-three-year-old David Mills appeared before Norwich Crown Court in 2014 in relation to a large number of child porn images and an offence of distribution and was jailed, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Following his release from prison he was regularly visited by public protection officers who checked his devices and internet browsing history.

Two officers visited Mills’ home in Beccles in July last year and he allegedly told them he still had sexual thoughts about girls aged between 12 and 16.

Lynne Shirley said Mills admitted viewing pornography on the internet in incognito mode which put him in breach of a sexual harm prevention order made in 2014.

The public protection officers seized a tablet and a laptop and when they were analysed a total of 91 indecent images of children were found.

Miss Shirley said four of the images were in the most serious level A category, ten in category B and 77 in category C.

Mills, of Queen Elizabeth Drive, Beccles, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between March and July last year, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and asked for an offence of making one category A image of a child to be considered.

Sentencing him to an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years Judge David Goodin said Mills had a “hideous preoccupation” with child porn.

He said Mills was rightly jailed for the offences he was convicted of in 2014 but had not been given the opportunity to have any rehabilitation.

He ordered Mills to attend a sex offenders treatment programme during a 35 day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered him to do 180 hours’ unpaid work.

He also made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Mills will also have to pay £250 prosecution costs.

Matthew Sorel-Cameron for Mills said his client hadn’t been able to get a job since his conviction in 2014.

He said the breach of the sexual harm prevention order was the first time he’d breached the order.

He said he had used the incognito browser while viewing adult porn because he didn’t want his wife to know what he was doing.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said Mills denied telling his public protection officer that he still had a sexual interest in children.

He said his court appearance in 2014 related to a large number of child porn images and was a different level of seriousness to the current offences.