A PERVERT was caught with more than 1,000 indecent images of children when police officers searched his property, a court heard.

Andrew John Turrell, aged 46, received a knock on the door of his Weymouth home from police officers who investigated a tip-off that Turrell had illegal pornography on September 16, 2020.

Prosecutor Richard Oakley told Weymouth Magistrates’ Court how Turrell was arrested and various devices were seized for examination.

Hundreds of Category A images, the most serious and obscene, were found by specialist officers, he said.

Mr Oakley said: “The defendant’s home address was searched by police officers on September 16, 2020.

“Various devices were seized and as you have heard, various prohibited indecent images were found on some of those devices.

“Amongst those are a number of most serious type, namely Category A images and there was quite a lot, namely 388.”

Some of the more severe images depicted three children aged between four to eight years old, another eight-year-old, and numerous images of children between 18 months and nine years old.

Mr Oakley described the uncovered images as ‘serious’ and ‘severe’.

During the police’s examination of the devices, there were 15 prohibited images of a child, 388 Category A images, 317 Category B images and 442 Category C images.

Officers also discovered nine extreme pornographic images involving animals during their investigations.

Turrell, of Emmadale Close in Weymouth pleaded guilty to possession of prohibited images of children, Category A, B and C images, as well as possession of extreme pornographic images of an animal.

Mr Oakley explained that due to the young age of children involved and ‘relative large number of images and videos’, Turrell should be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Mr Wragg, defending Turrell, agreed and cited the limited sentencing powers of magistrates.

He added: “In any case given the gravity of this offending, his mitigating factors can’t be heard here but a pre-sentence report could be prepared.”

Chair of Magistrates, Peter Gibson, told Turrell how ‘the offences are so serious they require sentencing at Bournemouth Crown Court’ and adjourned the case until January 7, 2022.

Turrell was released on conditional bail and ordered to register his details at a local police station shortly after the court hearing.

A pre-sentence report, which outlines the defendant’s personal circumstances and explain his offending, was also ordered.