A 28-year-old former west Suffolk man who downloaded more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been given a community order.

Police officers raided Finley Peterson’s home in December 2020 after receiving information that his IP address had been used to access indecent images of children, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Friday.

When his mobile phone and a tower unit were examined, they were found to contain 181 still indecent images of children and 21 movies in the most serious level A category, 513 still images and four movies in category B and 671 still images and four movies in the least serious level C category.

Peterson, formerly of Bury St Edmunds, but now of Markham Close, Cambridge, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and was given an 18-month community order, a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement, 60 hours of unpaid work and a 120-day alcohol abstinence monitoring programme

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

Sentencing him at court, Judge Richard Kelly said there had been “inexplicable and unfair” delays in the case.

Peterson, who had chosen not to be legally represented, said he was remorseful for what he had done and had had four years since the police turned up at his home to be disgusted with himself.

He said he had been trying to better himself and had contacted the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Stop It Now programme, which is run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to prevent child sexual abuse.