A Suffolk man who downloaded indecent photographs of children has been given a community order.

Police officers who went to Mark Ward’s home in Snape with a search warrant seized an external hard drive, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

When it was examined it was found to contain one indecent image of a child in the most serious level A category, two in category B and nine in the lowest level C category.

Ward, 56, of Gromford Lane, Snape, initially denied three offences of making indecent images of children on or before October 2 2017 and his trial was due to take this month.

However, today Ward changed his pleas to guilty and was given a two-year community order and a 50-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register.

The court heard the indecent images were created between 2009 and 2016.

Ward told police he had in interest in women with small breasts and wouldn’t have downloaded images if he thought they were of females under 18.