A divorcee has been sent on a treatment course for sex offenders after being trapped by an international monitoring operation and found with vile images of abuse on his computer. Neill Sobey was traced to his home on Dartmoor after joining a website called Child Love and found with images and movies of toddlers and babies. Police also found extreme images, including a movie of a man having sex with a dog among more than 3,500 illegal downloads on his computer. Sobey, aged 70, of Hillfield, South Zeal, admitted a total of 24 offences of making or possessing indecent images of children or extreme pornography.He was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years, ordered to pay £225 costs and attend the internet sex offenders' treatment programme as part of two years' supervision. Judge Jeremy Griggs said he was taking into consideration Sobey's severe respiratory condition, which forced him to carry an oxygen pump with him at all times.The judge told him: 'The number and nature of these images take this case past the custody threshold but you have expressed your wish to undergo the sex offenders' programme, which it would be in the interests of society for you to attend.'Gordon Richings, prosecuting, said police did not have the resources to examine all 3,500 files on Sobey's four hard drives but had found 2,579 child abuse images or movies.They included three movies showing children being forced to have sex by adults and six still images showing sadism or bestiality.Among the images were those of a child of about two being abused and another of a girl aged six to eight who was tied up and wearing a mask.He also had a movie showing a man kissing and having sex with a golden retriever.Mr Richings said: 'Police received information from an international concern called Operation Voyage which had information that persons in this country were accessing a child abuse website called Child Love.'It was discovered the defendant was one of those people and a warrant was executed at his home.'Jeremy Harris, mitigating, said Sobey started using adult websites after the break up of his marriage and was drawn towards more extreme material by pop-ups.He said: 'Curiosity got the better of him and he started accessing images of young children and accepts he gained some gratification from it. He cooperated fully with the police and made full admissions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.'