A previously convicted child sex offender has been jailed again after police discovered indecent images of children on his computer.

Nigel Stephen Collins, 75, from Redcar, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for making indecent images of children. Nearly 850 of the most serious category of these images were found on his computer.

Collins's offending came to light when Cleveland Police's Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders Unit (MOSOVO) conducted an unannounced visit to his home to ensure compliance with court orders stemming from two prior convictions for similar offenses. During the visit, officers reviewed Collins' computer and discovered he had accessed child abuse images again. He was subsequently arrested, interviewed, charged, and remanded until his court appearance on January 24.

PC James Sexton of the MOSOVO unit stated, "Collins is clearly still a dangerous individual with an enduring interest in making or accessing child abuse images. We work tirelessly to ensure everyone subject to restrictions and conditions are monitored so that any breaches like this are detected and dealt with. I'd like to thank my colleagues from the force's Digital Forensic Unit for working so quickly on this case; their assistance ensured we were able to return a high-risk offender back to prison."