A PERVERT who stored hundreds of indecent images on his phone - including videos of babies being abused - has been jailed for more than five years.

Brian Wood’s home in Colchester was raided by officers last year after he was found to be using an internet application frequented by people involved in the distribution of illegal images.

Wood told detectives they would find child abuse pictures on his phone... but only because he himself was trying to catch a paedophile who was based in Thailand.

His disgusting collection had more than 400 different images with 307 being category A which are deemed the most serious.

Children as young as one were being sexually abused in the films.

Further investigation uncovered that the 38-year-old had been talking with other paedophiles online and had attempted to distribute some images to them.

During one conversation, Wood suggested he was sexually attracted to young girls and said 14 was “the very maximum he would go”.

Wood, now of Goodway Gardens, London, admitted possession of indecent images, attempting to distribute indecent images, making indecent images and sexual touching of a child.

Sasha Bailey, mitigating, said Woods was the sole carer for his mother and had suffered a traumatic childhood.

She said: “At least at the beginning, he did want to catch someone else.

“He cannot give a reason why he carried on.

“He recognises his behaviour was appalling.”

Judge Emma Peters jailed him for five years and four months at Ipswich Crown Court, describing him as “a wicked man who deserved to go to jail”.

He will be on the sex offender’s register for life.