POLICE recovered sordid pictures of children when they examined the laptop computer of a Locks Heath man following a raid on his home.

Officers discovered John Gorrod had installed software which could destroy indecent images.

But they still retrieved 26 indecent pictures that he had accessed from pornographic sites.

Gorrod, 60, of Heath Road South, Locks Heath, pleaded guilty to 19 charges of possessing indecent pictures. Sentencing at Southampton Crown Court was adjourned until May 30 so he could be assessed for a place on a sex offenders treatment programme.

Gorrod was placed on the sex offenders' register.