A HIDDEN mobile phone containing pornographic images of children was found under a Hereford sex offender's mattress, a court has heard.

Duncan Abrams appeared before Hereford magistrates after entering guilty pleas to three charges at an earlier hearing.

The court heard Abrams had made 151 category B and 3,096 category C indecent photographs of children between February 28, 2020, and October 21, 2020.

The 64-year-old, who appeared before the court wearing trainers, jeans, and a multicoloured jacket, had also been in possession of a prohibited image of a child between the same dates.

Prosecutor Mark Hambling said Abrams, who had been subject to a sexual harm prevention order, had been arrested on suspicion on suspicion of possessing images of children in October 2020.

A search of his home was authorised and police found a phone hidden under his mattress.

Examination of the phone revealed it contained a number of accessible and inaccessible images.

A police report said some of the images featured children aged from six to eight, while the prohibited image featured a child aged eight to 10.

Other inaccessible prohibited images on the device included animals and adults, the court was told.

OTHER NEWS:

Mr Hambling said the offences were aggravated by Abrams previous convictions, the ages of the children involved, and by the phone being hidden under the mattress, and said he struggled to see any mitigating factors.

"I would ask for the matter to be sent to the crown court."

Edmund Middleton, for Abrams, said that, due to the nature of the images, he agreed that the matter should not be dealt with in the magistrates' court.

The case was sent to Worcester Crown Court, where Abrams, of Holmer Street, Hereford, will appear for sentencing on December 7.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest Herefordshire court and crime news? Click here to join our Hereford Times Court and Crime group on Facebook or click here to sign up for our weekly court and crime email newsletter.