Nigel Miller 38

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An obsessed paedophile carefully catalogued more than 10,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse, a court heard. Nigel Miller, 38, blamed a lack of self-esteem, a difficult childhood and lockdown for his sick behaviour.

Police raided his address in Barnstaple and found he had a massive collection of indecent images he had found on the internet. Most were of real children but some were computer generated.

Miller was already a convicted paedophile and had previously completed a course designed to change his ways. The judge said his behaviour was a warning to others about the dangers for people who spend their lives in the twisted virtual world.

He admitted five offenses of having indecent, prohibited and extreme images and was jailed for 18 months.

Police raided his address in August 2022 and seized a number of devices. They were alerted over concerns he had been using a file sharing platform called MegaNZ to collect and store images on the cloud.

The found more than 12,000 in the most serious category involving the abuse of very young children. There were also CGI images and 60 showing people having sex with animals.

Prosecutor Zoe Kuyken said Miller was convicted in 2014 for similar offences and had a caution from 2018. He had previously completed a sex offender treatment programme.

Nick Lewin, defending, said Miller was now a different man. He said the sex offender programme was now more sophisticated than it was decade ago and he would respond better to it.

Judge David Evans said the offences had happened over a period of two years. He accepted unemployed Miller was genuinely remorseful and was socially isolated, suffered with anxiety and depression and had not tackled difficult childhood experiences.

"You admit you are sexually attracted to underage children," said the judge. "You warn you may well reoffend and you do not know what there will be to stop you."

He said Miller had had spent most of his life jobless, drawing benefits and spending his time in the virtual world.

"You are standing warning to others of the potential corruptions of life spent in that way," added Judge Evans.

Miller, of Bear Street, was made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. He must serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released.