A SOUTHAMPTON man was caught with thousands of indecent images of children being abused.

Steven Thomas Scott had more than 5,000 indecent images of youngsters on various hard drives, a court heard.

These ranged from category A - the most serious type - to category C images at the lower end of the spectrum.

The 39-year-old of Chiltern Green also had almost 300 prohibited images of children - a mix of photos and videos.

Scott was identified by police during an investigation into users of a file-sharing network, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, a single count of distributing indecent photographs and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between April and December 2019.

Defending, Ed Warren, argued that his client had mental health issues.

At sentencing, Judge Peter Henry described the images as both disturbing and revolting.

However, he said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Scott was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years.

He must complete 43 sessions on an accredited sexual offender group work programme and 60 rehabilitation activity days.

Scott was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.