A MAN caught with thousands of indecent images of children told police he was a 'paedophile hunter'.

Man Sentenced for Child Sex Offences

A man from Hedge End has been sentenced for attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and possessing indecent images of children.

Tall of Aspen Close appeared before Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to the charges.

Prosecution barrister, Nick Hall, revealed that Tall was found in possession of 17 category A images, 14 category B images, and 2,880 category C images.

Defence barrister, Berenice Mulvanny, argued that Tall was of good character with a previous unrelated conviction from 2011, and that he had not committed any further offenses since his arrest.

Tall expressed regret for his actions, claiming to live with the consequences every day and stating that he had "lost his daughter" due to his crimes.

Judge Gary Burrell QC described Tall's collection of images as repulsive and justified his imprisonment. However, citing the possibility of rehabilitation, the judge said there was a good chance of Tall leading a law-abiding life.

Tall was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He must complete a 60-day sexual offenders programme, abide by a two-year sexual harm prevention order, and observe a four-month curfew from 7pm to 7am.