A CONVICTED paedophile who fled to Spain after being found with more indecent images of children has been spared jail after claiming to have turned his life around while abroad.

Alan Grundy was handed a 14-month suspended prison sentence when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court this week.

Grundy, 59, of no fixed address, had been returned to the UK earlier this year after a European arrest warrant was issued in order that he face charges dating back to 2015.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs and movies, and one charge of failing to notify police of a change of address.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson told the court that a computer tower was seized from an address in Bradford where Grundy had been living on 26 June, 2015.

On it, a total of 87 indecent images and two indecent videos were found, four of which were of the highest category of seriousness.

He was arrested and gave no comment, but when police returned to the address a few weeks later, his mother answered.

Mr Nicholson said: “She said he had not lived at the address since he had been arrested.”

“It turned out that he had taken himself abroad and gone to Spain,” he added.

He explained that Grundy had also flouted a requirement that he notify police of any change of home address.

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The court also heard that Grundy had been convicted of 21 offences in 2012 of making indecent images of children, and that he must register any change of name or address.

Tom Rushbrooke, for Grundy, said he had been at a particularly low point at the time of the first offences, having problems with alcohol.

He added: “While he was in Spain he had no access to computers at all.”

He had also “slipped through the net” over a programme for sexual offenders that was part of the community order he received in 2012.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, warned Grundy there was a victim behind every one of images he made, which he described as “disgraceful material”.

He added: “The running away to Spain, on the one hand was reprehensible, but on the other hand, it seems you have used that time to resolve many issues.”

Grundy was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and complete the sexual offenders programme he missed out on previously.

He was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order and a notification order, both for seven years.