A paedophile who breached a court order restricting his internet use has been jailed for 12 months.

David Taylor, who has convictions for downloading 25,000 indecent images of children and historic child abuse, was arrested after police called at his Wirral home.

An officer made a routine visit to check he was complying with the order restricting his internet use and found that he was not obeying it.

His laptop was seized and when forensically examined it was found to contain 36 images in each of the three categories of seriousness, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

65-year-old Taylor, of Alexandra Road, Oxton, pleaded guilty to four charges involving downloading and possessing indecent images of children.

The court heard children in the images included some as young as six.

Jailing him the judge, Recorder Anthony Long said, “It is suggested you might respond to the Northumbria Sex Offenders Programme.

"In my judgement you have had ample opportunities over the years for help for what is obviously a serious problem but you have failed to take that help or act upon it.

“You were the subject of an order preventing you accessing the internet for this purpose but you went ahead and did it anyway.”

He imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

Lionel Greig, defending, said Taylor, who lives alone, “does not seek to minimise his behaviour.

"He had been aware of the order made in 2012 that he must not download such material.”