Man had thousands of indecent images on devices in bedroom

Police seized almost 40 electrical devices from Michael Maidens' Norwich home after he was found to have uploaded a single indecent image of a child from his phone.

Norwich Crown Court heard the phone on which the image was uploaded, which had "a child's genitals" as the screensaver, was one of 38 items seized by police.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)

A total of 10 phones, 11 USB/SD cards, 30 hard drives, three iPads and eight laptops were also taken.

Chris Youell, prosecuting, said 15 of the devices were found to contain indecent images.

A total of 6,894 indecent images were found on Maidens' devices, including 906 of class A, the most serious, and 268 moving images, 184 of which were category A.

Maidens, of Nelson Street, appeared for sentence on Wednesday (July 19), clutching a Marvel bag, having previously admitted 19 offences.

They included one count of distributing indecent photographs of a child, 14 counts of making indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing a prohibited image f a child and two counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Jonathan Goodman, mitigating, said Maidens suffered from autism adding that were he to be sent to prison he would not get the assistance he has been crying out for".

He also said he would be "easy prey" for other inmates.

Recorder Michael Turner said the images involved in Maidens' offending were "quite horrific" and insisted the easiest option" would be to sentence him to "immediate custody".

But he recognised Maidens would be unlikely to receive the help he needed and that he was a "vulnerable" defendant who would be in "mortal danger were you to go into prison".

Maidens received an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years during which time he must complete up to 40 sessions on an accredited programme.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.