A Borehamwood man has been ordered to attend a sex offenders treatment programme after police found more than 36,000 indecent images of children on his computer.

Officers discovered the images after going to Stephen Leyden's home in June, 2013 with a search warrant.

Police already suspected he had been accessing the images and when detectives reached his home in Crown Road, Borehamwood and asked him directly if he had, he replied "Yes, I have."

The 53-year-old appeared at St Albans crown court, where he admitted possessing the indecent images.

The court was told that, in the main, the photos stored on his computer were of young girls aged eight to 12.

Judge Steven Warner, hearing the case, was told Leyden had amassed the collection of photos over a number of years and had become "addicted" to them.

The court was told Leyden had himself taken steps to deal with his problems while awaiting sentence and had cut down on his drinking.

Leyden was given a three-year community order with supervision on the understanding he attends the sex offenders treatment programme.

He was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention programme for an indefinite period and his name will be on the sex offenders register for the next five years.

Leyden was ordered to pay costs of £85 and a statutory surcharge of £60.

The judge ordered his computer to be forfeited and destroyed.