A pervert, who denied downloading indecent images of children when police raided his Wirral home, was caught out when they rang his mobile phone.

Leon Clark, whose email address and phone number had been linked to his home, told officers that he had sold his phone two hours earlier.

But police rang his number and it was heard ringing upstairs and was discovered hidden behind a radiator.

When it was examined indecent images of children - the most serious involving a little girl aged about three being sexually abused - were found, Ken Grant, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court today (Tuedsay, January 4).

Clark has 39 convictions for 88 offences including being jailed for two years in 2010 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13 and downloading child porn.

His convictions also include repeatedly failing to comply with requirements of the Sexual Offences Register.

Clark, of Lingdale Road North, Claughton, pleaded guilty to possessing a total of 58 indecent images on the day of the raid, June 8, last year and three offences of making indecent images of children in all three categories of seriousness in the previous three months.

Jason Smith, defending, said that his previous offences of non-compliance with the Sex Offenders Register related to homelessness but he now has a more settled lifestyle and the ability to comply with court orders.

He wants to co-operate and “do something to deal with what he accepts is a problem. He wishes too address the problem and show maturity.”

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, pointed out, “All he needs to do is stop looking at pictures of children.”

He jailed 46-year-old Clark for a total of 18 months, including activating a 16 week suspended sentence imposed in April last year for again breaching requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

The judge said he accepted the number of indecent images of children found on Clark’s phone was not particularly large but he said, “You have an extensive record for other forms of criminality.”

He pointed out that a probation officer says Clark “holds a negative attitude and poses a high risk of re-offending and a medium risk of serious harm to children.”

In an earlier pre-sentence report another officer said the defendant had little motivation to engage with the probation service and Judge Flewitt said he had not seen anything to show a change.

He ordered Clark to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same length of time.

He said he imposed the latter order “in the hope that over that period you mature and change your attitudes and no longer pose a risk to children. If it is considered you do an application can be made to extend the order.”