A PERVERT with a previous conviction for sexually assaulting a young girl was found to have viewed hundreds of sickening images of children.

When investigating officers checked a device belonging to Steven Hughes, 34, they found a collection of pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard 177 of the images were of the most serious category A and all of the footage involved children up to the age of 14.

Officers also found 173 category B and 494 category C images and videos.

Andrew Young, prosecuting, said Hughes was convicted of the sexual assault of a young girl in 2005.

He urged the court to impose conditional bail with a single condition the paedophile does not attempt to contact children.

“The age range of the children in these images is extremely young - up to 14 years of age - and there is a large number of images,” he said.

“He has a previous conviction, I accept it is of some age but it is relevant and shows a pattern of this kind of behaviour.

“The only reason the defendant stopped offending is because the police arrested him, he didn’t indicate these offences were taking place over one day.

“He is a man with an interest in searching for such images and viewing them.

“There is a risk and there are fears if he is granted bail there could be further incidents.”

But Lucy Osborne, representing Hughes, argued her client had kept himself out of trouble since his arrest in November 2017.

“Mr Hughes lives with his mother and there are no young persons in the household,” she said.

“He hasn’t been subject to any of these conditions in the last 18 months and I would suggest he doesn’t need to be now.”

Hughes, of Magnolia Drive, Colchester, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Magistrates granted unconditional bail, ordering the offender to attend a hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on August 29.