A PERVERT addicted to viewing images of child sexual abuse from Blackburn has been returned to prison after being caught with yet more indecent pictures.

Trevor Howard was caught with more than 150 obscene pictures of under-age children, at the highest level of seriousness.

The 60-year-old, a registered sex offender, was already in trouble with police after he was found to have internet-enabled devices.

Howard, who once held down a respectable management position in the town, was barred from having such equipment under the terms of a sexual offences prevention order.

He pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing indecent images and one charge of possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Police also discovered 71 category B images, the next most serious level of indecent imagery, and 962 category C pictures.

Howard had also admitted to three breaches of his sexual offences prevention order at a previous hearing before Blackburn magistrates court and was jailed for 18 months.

The defendant was first before the courts in 2004, after he confessed to becoming "addicted" to child pornography, an admission which saw him jailed for 12 months at Preston Crown Court.

Howard, who then lived on Whalley Old Road, had no previous convictions at the time and was said to be well-respected within his community.

Prosecutors said he became involved with downloading indecent images after he began to feel "isolated". But it eventually "became like a drug" to him and he was ashamed at what he had done.

Howard said he did it out curiosity but had quickly become addicted and shared photos with other people.

His lawyers told a judge that he had begun by looking at adult material but had gone on to look at pictures of young girls.