A FORMER St John Ambulance worker from Ely has been handed a suspended prison sentence after indecent images of children and animals were found on his computer.

David Cunningham, 62, of Dovehouse Close, Ely pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing indecent images in October at Cambridge Crown Court.

Cunningham accessed more than 240 indecent images of children, including babies and a number of animals. He categorised the CDs and DVDs of images he had into ‘A’ for animal and ‘C’ for children.

Cunningham was traced in April and police seized his computers.

He was sentenced to 51 weeks suspended for two years at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday. He was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and will be made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Gareth Purdy, who investigated, said: “Cunningham admitted the offences early on when we carried out a warrant at his home.

“Although he had previously worked for St John Ambulance Service he resigned from his post when the investigation began.

“This case should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can commit this type of crime and get away with it.”