A paedophile collected nearly 2,000 "horrific" child rape and abuse images.
James Mercer was hit with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2013 after he was caught with a sick stash of indecent images of children. The decade-long order prevented him from accessing the internet unless he retained the browsing history and made it available for inspection by police.
But when officers performed a routine check on his computer equipment as part of the SOPO, they discovered another library of "appalling" photos. The 41-year-old, of Ashburn Avenue, Tower Hill, Kirkby, later admitted possessing 1,997 indecent images of children.
