A paedophile caught with more than 32,000 indecent images of children has been jailed for over three years.

Daniel John Carpenter, 41, was sentenced to three years and two months in the Court of General Gaol Delivery on Tuesday.

Carpenter pleaded guilty to 10 offences of making and four offences of taking indecent images of children.

In his sentencing remarks, Deemster Graeme Cook labelled his behaviour as ‘abhorrent’.

The court heard that he was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children on December 19, 2022, and two laptops and a mobile phone device were seized by police.

Prosecuting advocate Peter Connick told the court that Carpenter initially denied possessing any indecent images of children, however, four days later handed himself into the police.

The court heard that Carpenter had downloaded these images between January 2013 and December 2022.

The court also heard that a number of these images were hidden in secret photo album apps.

One such app was ‘Calculator Photo Vault’, an app that appears to be a calculator but when a PIN is entered, reveals a secret photo album.

Deemster Cook said: ‘There is a sophisticated nature here.’

As well as viewing indecent images of children online, Carpenter was also found to have images which he had covertly taken himself.

The 32,000 images ranged from level one to level four on the COPINE scale, which measures images on a scale of one to five depending on severity.

The court heard that while the majority of the images found on Carpenter’s devices were at level one, there were ‘quite a lot’ at levels three and four.

Deemster Cook said: ‘Fortunately, from his point of view, the images he was involved with were level one.’

Defence advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge said: ‘He’s glad he got caught, he wants to be fixed.

‘There is an acceptance that he is sexually interested in images of children.’

The court heard that if Carpenter hadn’t been arrested, he would have continued his activity.

Ms Dodge said: ‘Mr Carpenter had everything and when he committed the offences. He risked it all and, in being arrested, lost it all.’

In a letter Carpenter left for his family before he handed himself in, he said: ‘I have never harmed anyone.’

On sentencing him, Deemster Cook said: ‘These images had to have been taken, children are exposed to that.

‘The likes of you and others viewing such filth do harm children and we’re not sure they ever do recover.’

Carpenter has been handed a Sexual Offences Protection Order, which restricts his contact with children under the age of 16 and also limits his access to the internet and electronic devices, which will be monitored by the police when he gets out of prison.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

If Carpenter breaks his protection order, there is a possibility he could go back to prison for up to five years.

Carpenter has also been made subject to travel notification requirements.