A 26-year-old Stowmarket man who was found to have downloaded more than 2,000 indecent images and movies of children after he took his mobile phone into a shop in Ipswich has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Staff at the Vodafone shop in the town contacted the police after spotting indecent images on Luke Crighton’s phone when he took it into the shop for an upgrade, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Following his arrest, Crighton told officers: “I know I’ve done wrong. I’m trying to stop and get help. How long will I go to prison for?”

Crighton, of Eve Balfour Way, Stowmarket, admitted six offences of making indecent images and videos of children and two offences of producing two indecent videos of children.

Juliet Donovan, prosecuting, said that in addition to Crighton’s phone police had seized other devices from him and when they were analysed they were found to contain 495 still indecent images of children and 140 movies in the most serious level A category, 319 still images and 28 movies in category B and 1,147 images and 44 movies in the lowest level C category.

Police also discovered two category C indecent movies of children that Crighton had filmed himself.

Sentencing Crighton, Judge Emma Peters described what he’d done as a “disgusting addiction" and described the indecent images and videos as “vile.”

She gave Crighton a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered him to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

She also ordered him to take part in a sex offenders’ treatment programme and gave him a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Crighton, who has a ten-month-old baby, was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

He was also ordered to pay £380 costs.

Claire Matthews, for Crighton, said he realised he was in jeopardy of an immediate custodial sentence.

She said he had made admissions to the police from the outset and had been open with his family about what he’d done.

Miss Matthews said Crighton came from a “good law-abiding family” who did not understand or condone his behaviour.

She said Crighton had moved back home with his parents and his family was now ensuring he didn’t re-offend.

Miss Matthews said Crighton had completed eight two-hour group work sessions to address his offending behaviour.