A father and son who downloaded thousands of indecent images of children and other extreme pornography have escaped jail.

Adam Strawson, 54, and Tymon Strawson, 35, were caught when police received information that indecent images of children were being shared on a social network from an Internet Protocol address linked to their home.

Officers conducted a warrant at the property, in Ely Road, Littleport, on June 12 where they seized a large number of electronic devices.

Both men were at home when officers arrived and began searching the property.

Tymon became agitated and was eager to leave to go to work.

When officers searched him they found a mobile phone which was later found to contain indecent images of children.

Examination of the devices belonging to Tymon revealed 530 indecent or prohibited images of children and 28 videos.

Of these, 107 images and 24 of the videos were category A, the most severe.

The devices linked to Adam were found to have 2871 indecent or prohibited images of children and 11 videos.

Of these, 280 images and two videos were category A.

Officers also discovered 128 other extreme pornographic images.

Both men used social media to start inappropriate conversations with other users and share indecent images of children.

Adam, of Ely Road, Littleport, admitted distributing indecent images of children, possession of a prohibited image of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image involving an animal and three counts of making indecent images of children.

On Thursday (May 9) at Cambridge Crown Court he was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

Tymon, also of Ely Road, Littleport, admitted possession of a prohibited image of a child, three counts of making indecent images of children and nine counts of distributing indecent images of children.

He appeared at the same court on Thursday where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, given a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Detective Sergeant James Weston said: "Although the Strawsons didn't have any direct contact with children in these offences, each image or video they downloaded represented a child being exploited.

"We will continue to do all we can to bring people involved in making, downloading and distributing indecent images of children to justice."

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to someone, can apply for disclosure information through Clare's Law and Sarah's Law.