A “SEXUAL predator” who abused young children over several years has been jailed.

Gordon Saunders was originally arrested because of his access to internet pornography and restricted websites.

But police analysis unearthed evidence that the 56-year-old may have taken some of the 8,500 indecent images stored on the computer at his home in Warboys himself.

Officers later traced several victims, with the youngest just nine years old.

Saunders, currently of Othello Close, Hartford, Huntingdon, is now subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which bans him from working with children and accessing internet sites after he pleaded guilty to nine charges of sexual assault on a child, one count of gross indecency with a child and eight counts of making and possessing indecent images.

Other counts relating to the taking of the images were ordered to remain on file after Saunders admitted possessing thousands of images of children, with 54 judged to be at the most serious Level Five on the Copine Scale.

He was sentenced to a four year jail term at Peterborough Crown Court on Wednesday (December 1).

Detective Constable Tony Cox, who led the investigation, said: “Saunders is a sexual predator who took advantage of several young children over a long period of time.

“This case started out as an investigation into online child pornography but we uncovered abuse going back many years.

“It shows the importance of targeting people who use the internet to trade indecent images and how this type of crime has very real victims.”