A HAMPSHIRE man was caught with indecent images of children as young as four.

Daryl Jenkins was found to have more than 50 child abuse images when police searched his computer and mobile phone.

He was also caught with more than a dozen moving images – the majority of which were classed as being in the most serious category.

The 31-year-old was given an eight-month suspended sentence during an appearance at Southampton Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Matthew Lawson told the court that Jenkins came to the police’s attention during an investigation into peer-to-peer internet chatrooms.

Officers visited Jenkins’ home in Bracken Road, North Baddesley, in September 2017 and confiscated his computer and mobile phone.

During the search, officers asked if Jenkins had viewed child abuse images and he replied: “I used to do it along time ago.”

An examination of the two devices uncovered a total of 20 category-A images, the most serious kind, 12 category-B images and 32 category-C images.

Mr Lawson said of those images, 11 were category A films, with a further eight moving images of category B and C.

Defending David Reid said Jenkins had previously been a man of good character and had pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing indecent images of children at the earliest opportunity.

He added that Jenkins had been diagnosed with depression, following a break-up 10 years ago, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) and was currently unemployed.

Judge Nicholas Rowland sentenced Jenkins to eight months for the category A images, six months for the category B images and four months for the category C images.

Judge Rowland ordered to sentences to run concurrently, and suspended the resulting eight month sentence for two years.

He said: “I very much hope this will be your one and only appearance before the courts.”

Jenkins was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.