A PAEDOPHILE who kept children’s leotards in his home to indulge his sick fantasies was back in court for possessing horrific child sex abuse images.

Mark Grindon had nearly 47,000 indecent images of children and images of extreme pornography including bestiality at his home near Horsham.

He had been ordered not to keep computer devices without monitoring software after his earlier convictions.

Previously, The Argus revealed how the pervert had an interest in girls wearing ballet costumes.

He sought out social media profiles of young girls, aged between 11 and 15, from across the country.

His first conviction was in 2016, but a later search at his home found he had stashed items behind a false shelf in his bathroom, including camera phones, a GoPro camera, a girl’s leotard, a camcorder, and a child sex doll.

Now the unemployed 37-year-old was back in court where it was revealed he was using the alias Eddie Gardener on an online dating site to contact with women who have children.

He was sent back to prison for 13 months for admitting possession of 46,986 indecent images, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and breaching the notification requirements of being a registered sex offender.

Police said his latest sentencing followed a time-consuming forensic examination of Grindon’s digital devices, seized when he was arrested in 2019.

It resulted in the discovery of the indecent images and his further sentencing.

In November 2016 Grindon had first been convicted at Chichester Crown Court of making indecent images of children.

He was given a suspended prison sentence and as well as being a registered sex offender, he was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), severely restricting his contact with children and computers and requiring him to clear any such contact with supervising police officers.

Police said checks showed he had looked at more than 30 girls on Instagram, mainly wearing ballet or leotard outfits, but there was no evidence he had contacted the girls.

PC Louise Giles said: "This further sentencing shows that we will continue to seek out evidence, even though it may be a time-consuming process, to bring such offenders to justice in order to protect the community.

"Grindon has been known to use an alias “Eddie Gardener” in online dating profiles, to contact women with access to children.

“If you have had contact with him, please contact us either online, or by calling 101, quoting reference 47190112747."

Grindon, of Swallowfield Close, Mannings Heath, near Horsham, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on May 17 to 13 months in prison.