A SEX offender who was caught with images of child sex abuse while out on licence from prison is once again behind bars.

Dominic Hutchinson had been released from a 12-year jail term for sexual assault and other sex crimes when he was caught flouting his court order.

During the investigation he was also found to have entered illicit search terms onto a laptop including 'underage' as well as made a number of indecent images of children.

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The 64-year-old of Bardwell Terrace, Bicester, had already admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order and three counts of making indecent images of children.

He was sentenced for those crimes at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

Outlining the case prosecutor Christopher Pembridge said Hutchinson was jailed in 2008 for crimes including indecent assault, sexual assault and making indecent images of children.

When he was released in March 2016 he was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Despite this order he went on to flout it when he was given a Toshiba laptop which he used to access the internet.

Hutchinson used that device until July 2018 when officers visited his home.

He showed the laptop and the machine was later investigated by police.

On analysis it was discovered that he had repeatedly entered search terms suggesting illicit searches including 'underage' and 'sleeping young girl on bed.'

He was also found to have one indecent image of a child in the most severe category - A, as well as one in category B and four in category C.

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Those images were largely of children aged between nine and 11.

When he was interviewed about the laptop he said he had 'misunderstood the prohibition' and didn't think he had to notify the police about the device.

In mitigation Jonathan Coode said that his client had taken to drinking after release from prison.

He said that Hutchinson downloaded the images over the course of two days while at his worst point for drinking.

He added that his client suffered from poor health, which had been made worse by a suicide attempt he had made.

Sentencing, Judge Maria Lamb said the offences 'undermined the protection which that order was intended to provide to children.'

She said: "It seems to me that the message has to be clear.

"This offence of breaching a court order, aimed at the protection of the vulnerable, is far too serious to be dealt with by way of a suspended sentence and not custody."

He was jailed for a total of 18 months, made up of 16 months for the breach and a further two months consecutive for the indecent images counts.

He must also pay a victim surcharge and the existing sexual harm prevention order remains an indefinite order.