A trainee music teacher from Essex who downloaded indecent images and videos of children told police he’d “been a bit silly online”, a court has heard.

Police went to 28-year-old Hector Moyes’ home with a search warrant in June last year and seized his iPhone and Apple Mac computer after receiving information that he had used the internet to access indecent images of children, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

When the devices were analysed they were found to contain 10 indecent videos of children in the most serious level A category, as well as four still indecent images of children and one video in category B.

He also had eight still images and three videos in the lowest level C category.

Matthew Bagnall, prosecuting, said Moyes, who has no previous convictions, had previously worked as a trainee music teacher at a secondary school.

He said that Moyes told police he’d “been a bit silly online” during a dark period in his life.

The court heard that the images found on his devices were of females aged between ten and 16 and he’d used search terms including “Lolita”.

Moyes, of Fingringhoe Road, Langenhoe, Colchester admitted three charges of making indecent images of children on or before June 6 last year.

He was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

He was also given a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a sexual harm prevention order for seven years.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Sentencing him, Judge Emma Peters said he’d “fuelled the trade of the disgusting abuse of children” and had lost his teaching career as a result of the offences

The court heard that Moyes had a mental breakdown which resulted in a “brief and destructive” addiction with pornography.

Adam Squibbs, for Moyes, said he had been a church organist for 10 years and was a freelance musician and had used his talents to raise money for charity.

He said Moyes had a mental breakdown following the death of his grandfather and learning his father had vascular dementia.

He had also discovered his wife was pregnant and had been looking for a house where all his family, including his grandmother, could live together.

Mr Squibbs said his client had been attending weekly counselling sessions and felt genuine remorse.