A BANK worker who shared thousands of images of children being sexually abused among a perverted internet community has been jailed for more than three years.

Christopher Oakes, 36, of Victoria Road, Southend, made and distributed more than 32,000 images using a pseudonym to communicate with other paedophiles.

His activities came to light as detectives from Hamp-shire Constabulary investigated another man for child sex offences.

The pair had been in contact on the internet for months, exchanging sordid images.

Experts who examined Oakes's computer at his home recovered 2,764 child porn pictures, either as stills or videos.

Further analysis revealed he had distributed 30,092 images to 94 other people.

Most of the images involved girls under the age of ten, with a large number showing the horrific sexual abuse of infants, Kingston Crown Court was told.

Oakes, formerly of Surrey, admitted 20 offences of making indecent images of children and ten offences of distributing indecent images of children. He also admitted possession of ecstasy and ketamine, a class C drug.

Oakes asked for five offences of possessing indecent images of children and one of distributing indecent images of children to be taken into consideration, in relation to 2,764 still and video images recovered from his computer.

He was sentenced to three years and four months jail and placed on the sex offenders register for life.