An IT expert who downloaded thousands of indecent images of children from the dark web will have his computer use strictly monitored on release.

Martin Cleator was jailed for a total of four years and four months at the Court of General Gaol Delivery in November after admitting possession of tens of thousands of still and moving images.

The 53-year-old had previously been jailed for two years for possessing more than 900,000 indecent images - the largest cache of such images that UK police taskforce Titan, where they were sent for analysis, had seen.

As part of the latest offences, images included a baby aged between six months and one year, and others of girls aged four to six years.

Prosecutor Sara-Jayne Dodge said some of the images showed children in pain and distress.

She said in addition to the 30,311 images identified, it was estimated there were a further 158,974 0 a total of 189,285.

The images were discovered after police executed a warrant at Cleator’s home in Ballaquark, Douglas, in November 2024 over allegations he was breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

The order restricted the number of internet-accessible devices he could have in his possession.

Inside, police found a complex set-up of IT equipment including custom-built virtual hard drives which had been encrypted and password-protected - likely designed to evade detection.

A majority were in the lowest category, C, but 13,665 of the most extreme were category A. There were also images of adult bestiality.

Cleator admitted 17 counts of possessing indecent images of children and four counts of making indecent photos of children. He also admitted breaching the Sexual Offences/Harm Prevention Order.

A new Sexual Offences/Harm Prevention Order has now been issued which significantly restricts Cleator’s access to and use of electronic devices once he is released from prison.

The prosecution and defence advocate Stephen Wood spent time agreeing the details of the draft order, which was imposed by Deemster Graeme Cook.

As well as limiting the number of devices he can own or access, any new device must be approved by police.

Among other restrictions, Cleator is prohibited from using any device that accesses the internet without notifying police.

He must allow devices to display search history and is not allowed to delete it. He cannot download any encryption software.

He must allow police access to any devices he has or uses and must not use a private or encrypted browser. He is also prohibited from using software or browsers that hide his identity and must use his real name when using social platforms.

He must also make available to police any device before he deletes content or disposes of it.

The order will remain in place indefinitely and if Cleator breaches it, he can be jailed for a further five years.

An order was also made for the destruction of the devices on which indecent images were found.