A man who downloaded child pornography handed himself in at Great Yarmouth police station after trying to commit suicide in nearby Sea Palling.

A man who downloaded child pornography handed himself in at Great Yarmouth police station after trying to commit suicide in nearby Sea Palling.

David Marklew, 47, admitted possessing more than 800 images of children, of which 93 were at level four, the second most extreme. He had a previous conviction for a similar offence dating from 2002.

Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday that he had 'a predilection for sexual images of female children'. The pictures were of girls aged 10 to 13.

Andrew Thompson, mitigating, said that the previous offences were at a time of crisis in his life, when he had never had a sexual relationship, and at that time he had not received treatment.

He added: 'His partner discovered he was looking at adult pornography. He was so distressed by the effect this had on her that he did try to kill himself, though not in a meaningful way. He said he did not have the guts to do it, but he did have the guts to take himself to the police station and tell them where they could find the images.'

Marklew, of Jubilee Road, Daventry, Northamptonshire, admitted eight counts of making indecent images of children and one offence of possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Paul Downes sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and told him he would have to carry out an internet sex offenders' treatment programme. He was also banned from owning a computer or using the internet other than for work or study, and banned from having any pictures of children without their parents' permission, for the next five years. He will stay on the sex offenders' register for seven years and was banned from working with children for life.