A MAN who was caught with thousands of pornographic photographs of children after police raided his home tried to blame a work colleague for the shameful collection.

Detectives questioned the work-mate who sold Michael Wyatt computer parts, but were quickly able to establish he was innocent and the 22-year-old was lying.

Wyatt was yesterday jailed for nine months after he admitted a string of charges of making and distributing indecent images of children over five months.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Wyatt, from North Yorkshire, called himself "Panty-Lover" and shared pictures with others through internet chatrooms.

Dan Cordey, prosecuting, told the court that police raided Wyatt's home in Cooper Lane, Potto, near Northallerton, and seized computer equipment on April 22 last year.

Experts found 2,261 indecent images of children - the vast bulk of which were easily accessible, but about 300 of which were recovered using specialist software.

Mr Cordey said 72 video-clips were also found on the computer Joanne Kidd, mitigating, urged Judge Michael Taylor to impose a suspended prison sentence, and said that Wyatt would benefit more from treatment in the community. But Judge Taylor told Wyatt: "The message has got to go out that this sort of behaviour cannot be overlooked."

The judge said Wyatt's sharing of photos showed "determination" and added that the lack of help he will receive when he is freed from prison "is not something I'm in a position to do anything about".

Wyatt admitted 17 specimen charges of making indecent images, six of distributing, one of possessing 72 indecent videos, and a roll-up charge of possessing 1,921 images.

He was ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for seven years, and was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order preventing unsupervised contact with under-16s.