A PAEDOPHILE could be jailed for life after being caught with more than 12,300 indecent images of children.

David Lutz Ward, 53, was on parole having been released partway through a 15 year sentence for filming himself as he tried to rape a baby and running an international internet delivery system across 57 countries that distributed on average 3,000 sexual images a day of small children.

York Crown Court heard when he left prison in September 2014, he was subject to controls on his use of the internet under a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO), but ignored it.

Within eight months, he had downloaded more than 12,300 sexual photographs and films of children as well as nearly 900 photographs and films of adults performing extreme sexual acts, York Crown Court heard.

The Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC, told him: “You face a significant sentence for this offending. The only question is whether I decide, having read all there is to read about you, whether you qualify for at least an extended sentence and whether you are, in these circumstances, a dangerous offender.”

If Ward, formerly of Acomb, York, is classed as a "dangerous offender" he could be given either an extended sentence or a life sentence for his latest offences.

An extended sentence includes extra time on prison licence when an offender can be recalled to prison after he is released.

The judge ordered probation officers to prepare a report on how dangerous Ward is before he is sentenced on March 17. Judge Batty also asked the prosecution to give him full details of the offences for which Ward received a 15-year sentence.

Ward is currently back behind bars, having been recalled by the Parole Board and sentenced for breaching the SOPO order by secretly owning computers.

He pleaded guilty to four offences of possessing indecent photographs of children, one of possessing an indecent video of a child, two of having prohibited images of children and two of having extreme pornographic images including 859 photographs and seven videos.

His parole supervision officer uncovered the offences when he visited Ward and saw the computer he was not allowed to have under the SOPO order.

Defence barrister Glenn Parsons said Ward wanted to be sentenced immediately, but the judge said given Ward's previous offences, he needed to know exactly how dangerous he is first.

In 2005, York Crown Court heard Ward ran eight chat rooms and had 25,745 sexual photographs and films of children on sophisticated home computer equipment.

They included pictures and video clips he had made of himself abusing a nine-month-old baby over two days.

He specialised in sending out images of children aged from zero to five years of age, and in one three-week period, he had sent 33,486 images to 57 countries.

But his activities brought him to the attention of German police who tipped off North Yorkshire Police and he was arrested.

He admitted 65 charges of distributing indecent images of children, one of attempted rape, three of indecent assault and two of making indecent images of children.