John Andrews 39

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A paedophile working as a landscape gardener was caught with child sex abuse images for a second time.

John Andrews was previously been spared jail for having indecent images of children.

But today the 36-year-old was jailed after he was again caught with sick images of boys aged between 12 and 17.

The judge, Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, sentencing today at Liverpool Crown Court, said the background to the case was "of significance".

In 2016 Andrews was handed a three-year community order for possession of Category C indecent images of children.

He was also ordered to comply with a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to complete a sex offender treatment program.

The judge said following the order, Andrews was in breach of his Sex Offenders Register requirement because "you saw fit to go on holiday to Tenerife without informing authorities".

In August last year police went to Andrews' home to ensure he was complying with court orders.

The judge said: "You provided some details about your sex life and other matters as part of the visit, in line with the conditions."

When the officer checked his mobile phone Andrews "appeared to have been looking at pornography, which contradicted what you had been saying".

The phone was sent for further analysis and officers discovered 22 child sex abuse images, 12 of which were unique and not duplicates.

The images showed boys aged between 12 and 17 and three of the images involved rape.

Two of the images were Category B and there were 17 Category C images, the court heard.

The judge said the site was accessed in June, July and August 2020.

Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, said he had searched on the site for terms such as "first time boys" and "very young friends".

Mr Treadwell said Andrews has four previous convictions for six offences including damaging property in 2014, battery in the same year, failing to comply with notification requirements in 2016 and possession of controlled drugs in the same year.

Simeon Evans, defending, said the pictures had been stored on the phone as a consequence of Andrews clicking through links on the website, and said he had not been actively looking for each image through a search engine.

Mr Evans said Andrews has his own gardening and landscaping business.

He said following his previous conviction he undertook a sex offender program which had "not had the best press" and had "led to a complete overhaul of the system".

Mr Evans said: "He is a man who has been able to stay out of trouble for quite a long time."

He said there was a "realistic prospect of rehabilitation" and said he has a medical "XXY issue" and "might suggest Mr Andrews is someone who needs a bit more help than most".

The court heard Mr Andrew's partner, who sat in the public gallery, had provided a character reference.

Mr Evans said: "I submit in this case Mr Andrews could be given one more chance to grasp the help there is."

Andrews, of Cooper Avenue, Warrington, admitted possessing 22 indecent images of children.

The judge said: "I have carefully considered this case. It does present a sentencing challenge."