A PAEDOPHILE who was caught with indecent images of children for the second time cried as he was sent to jail.

Martin Roper, of St Aldate’s in Oxford, was found with two indecent images of children as young as eight and one indecent video of a child about 14.

He appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday charged with two counts of possession of indecent images and video, which the court heard was three-and-a-half hours long.

They had been found on his tablet device.

Prosecutor Naomi Perry said it was the second offence of a similar nature after Roper was previously jailed for 15 months by Swindon County Court for 16 offences of possessing indecent images of children.

He was jailed in 2004 for the offences, which dated back to 1999.

Laura Collier, defending, told the court of Roper’s long-standing struggles with depression and read a character reference talking about the 54-year-old’s work helping with various gardening services in the community.

It said Roper ‘has a genuine interest in helping out others’ and added he is ‘reliable, trustworthy and honest’.

Judge Ian Pringle said: “In March 2016 a police officer arrested you in suspect of you being in possession of indecent photos of children. They were right.”

“You are 54-years-old and if this was your first appearance before the courts this matter may have attracted a suspended sentence.

“But in 2004 you were convicted of no less than 16 offences of indecent images and received 15 months imprisonment.

“You clearly haven’t learned your lesson.”

Judge Pringle added that he thought he would be ‘failing his public duty’ if he were to spare Roper jail and give him a suspended sentence.

Roper was sentenced to 12 months in prison and cried as he was led away from the dock to serve out his jail term.