A paedophile was caught with an "appalling" stash of child rape and abuse images on his computer. Police discovered nearly 2,000 of the horrific photos at the home of James Mercer.
The 41-year-old was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2013 after he was caught with a collection of indecent images of children. The decade-long order prevented him from accessing the internet unless he retained the history and make it available for inspection by police.
When officers performed a routine check on his computer equipment, they discovered another library of indecent photos, the ECHO reports. According to the charge, he downloaded the files over a three-year period between May 16, 2018 and March 17, 2021.
