A man has been jailed for being in possession of hundreds of indecent images of children, as well as making over 100 other indecent images.

Robert Inglis, 62 of Enfield, north London, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday, 29 April to three years imprisonment, and given a 12 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and to be on the sexual offenders register for life.

He pleaded guilty at court in February to three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distribution of indecent images of children, and three counts of encouraging others to commit offences.

An investigation was launched following intelligence received by the Metropolitan Police that showed that a number of category A, B and C indecent images of children had been uploaded to the internet. Intel linked this to Inglis.

Detectives from the major crimes unit executed a search at an address in Enfield in October 2018. Inglis was arrested and a number of his devices were seized at a north London police station.

Following a complex and protracted investigation, Inglis was subsequently charged with making 49 category A child abuse images, 28 category B images and 44 category C images.

Inglis disclosed during interview that he had forwarded the indecent images of children on to other people. He was subsequently charged with distributing 55 indecent images.

Owing to clear communications between Inglis and other persons, he was charged with three further counts of encouraging/assisting in the commission of an either way offence believing it will be committed.

Detective Lee Jeffrey of the North Area Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Unit and the investigating officer, said: “Inglis is now behind bars for the crimes he has committed against children. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who possess, create and distribute these vile images and I hope the sentencing today evidences our commitment to this.

“Every single image possessed by Inglis features a child who is a victim of an appalling crime. When people like Inglis seek these images out, they continue to generate a market for this type of abuse.

“This remains a priority for the Met and our dedication to putting these offenders behind bars and bringing to justice to the victims will continue at pace.”