An engineer working on an off-shore vessel, based off the Norfolk coast, has been jailed for 12 months for downloading indecent images of children

Christopher Carey, 36, was found to have downloaded 321 indecent images on a hard drive, which was found by a work colleague, and police were informed about the matter, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Andrew Oliver, prosecuting, said Carey had been convicted of a similar offence in 2003.

Carey, from Morpeth, Northumberland, admitted downloading the images and was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order, under which he must not have unsupervised contact with children.

Carey is already on the sex offender's register.

Alan Wheetman, for Carey, said he had become addicted to the indecent images and had now lost everything as a result of re-offending.

'He is desperately ashamed.'

He said that after his conviction in 2003, Carey had not looked at any indecent images, but after suffering marriage problems, became drawn into looking at images again.

'He is a broken man. The only thing that is keeping him going is that he wants to keep working.'

He said Carey wanted to undertake a course to break the habit.

'He does not want this to ever happen to him again.'