A STALKER has been jailed after he became so infatuated with his work colleague he tried to frame her husband for possessing child abuse images.

IIkka Karttunnen has been given a four and a half year sentence for harrassment after a pen drive full of indecent photographs was sent to police along with an anonymous note claiming they had been stolen from a house in Southend.

This led police to arrest his work colleague's innocent husband in front of their children and seize their home computer.

They later found Karttunnen, of the Gore, Basildon, had got into the family's house when they were asleep to fit a bugging device and download the contents of their home computer.

The 48-year-old was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court after being found guilty of harrassment, perverting the course of justice, and several counts of making indecent images of children.

Karttunnen, who is of Finnish nationality, was also made subject to a Restraining Order and ordered to register as a Sex Offender.