A CONVICTED sex offender was caught with more than 15,000 images of child abuse.

Brian Hemborough, a repeat offender with a history of child sex abuse convictions, was sentenced to 32 months in prison for possessing a vast collection of child abuse images.

Hemborough, 55, had been monitored by police since his previous convictions in 1989, 2004, 2013, and 2016. During a search of his devices, authorities uncovered a staggering number of images and videos, prompting them to take a sample of just 15,000 from the collection.

The court heard that some of the images depicted children as young as two years old, with some showing signs of "discernible pain." Prosecutor Stuart Ellacott revealed that Hemborough had twice lied to police about owning internet-enabled devices, claiming he was hoping to receive one for Christmas in 2018.

The courtroom erupted in anger as the judge, Roger Hetherington, handed down the sentence. Members of the public gallery, including two individuals present, shouted their disapproval, with one person exclaiming, "He's ruined people's lives!" Another shouted, "12 months?" in disbelief at the initial length of the sentence.

Hemborough pleaded guilty to eight counts of making indecent images, two breaches of a sexual offences prevention order, and three charges of possession of indecent images. He had been viewing the images between December 2015 and January of the current year.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Hetherington stated that Hemborough had a "very significant record of previous convictions including various contact offences" dating back to 1989 when he was imprisoned for 10 years.

The judge further highlighted probation's findings, stating that Hemborough had attempted to justify his actions and minimize the severity of his offense. "You at times sought to justify what you did, to minimize the reality that you plainly harbor supportive beliefs in the area of child abuse and you have a high degree of preoccupation (in children) - all those are very troubling matters," the judge declared.

Hemborough had admitted to using the indecent images as a "safety net" to prevent himself from committing physical abuse, a claim that was met with skepticism by the court.

In addition to the prison sentence, Hemborough was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and is subject to a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

Defense attorney Philip Allman stated that his client was "willing to address his issues" and had made efforts to understand his desires and combat them.