A convicted sex offender has been spared jail again despite downloading child abuse images for a second time.

Jake West, 20, was caught by police after returning to his vile perversion following his first conviction.

Police went to his home, in Church Road, Stambourne, as part of a routine check on sex offenders and he admitted he had done it again.

West admitted making two category C images of a child aged under 16 when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

The offence took place on October 24.

Philip Pearson, prosecuting, said: “Officers on duty were conducting routine checks and during a visit he made an admission that he had a relapse and viewed some images using the internet function on his Playstation 4.

“With that they carried out checks and found two images of young children and he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”

West previously committed offences between 2012 and 2014, initially aged just 15.

He was convicted aged 18 in 2016 of multiple counts of making hundreds of indecent images of children, He also admitted multiple counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity after persuading girls as young as 12 to send him child abuse images.

West avoided jail last time and avoided jail again this week for his “relapse”.

Mark Pearson, mitigating, claimed the registered sex offender may have autism and was due to see someone today before suggesting West commits these crimes partly because he is unemployed and has too much time on his hands.

He said: “There is an issue with regards to Mr West and a diagnosis of further issues.

“He needs to be kept busy and working.

“It is his lack of occupation that does not enable him to make use of his time.”

West was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, 180 hours of unpaid work and a 40 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

His sentence was described as the “last chance saloon” by magistrates. West will pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115, while his computer will be forfeited.

A notification requirement and his position on the sex offenders’ register remains.