A SEX offender has been jailed for 18 months after police found him in possession of extreme indecent images.

Francis Chown was already being monitored by police when they arrived at his home unannounced and seized a laptop off him.

After examining it they found 74 indecent images, including two so-called extreme indecent images.

A dozen images were in the worst category and involved pubescent boys aged under 16 committing sex acts on each other.

In March 2013 Chown, of Hartington Road, Stockton, was given a six month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months, by magistrates for making indecent images of children.

Two years later he breached a sexual offences prevention order by visiting the home of young girls on 20 occasions when the parent was not present.

For that he was given a six month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, in April 2015.

Chown initially said about his latest offences that he did not know how the images got onto his computer.

The 55-year-old, who was said to have ongoing fantasies about young children, later admitted his guilt, pleading guilty to four offences related to the possession of indecent images.

Alex Bousfield, mitigating at Teesside Crown Court, said Chown was anxious and worried about the prospect of jail and had expressed some remorse.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton said Chown left court in April 2015 with warnings about future offending “ringing in his ears”, but within four months had been found with the indecent images.

He said: “This is not a victimless crime. There are real children being made to carry out these acts for your pleasure.”

He jailed Chown for 18 months, which included the activation of his previous six month suspended prison sentence.