DETECTIVES have told how their policy of regularly checking up on known sex offenders paid off after a man was jailed for possessing child pornography.

A routine police check at the home of Andrew Priday, in Gabriels Hill, Maidstone, uncovered a stash of indecent pictures of children.

Investigating officer DS Dave Philpott said: "This result was possible because of the pro-active stance of the police in the checking of offender addresses. We visited his flat and it transpired that he was only using it as a postal and storage address. It was then uncovered that he was up to no good again."

Priday, 39, a former bar manager at The Muggleton Inn in Maidstone, had been put on the sex offenders register in 1995 after he was convicted of indecent assault and gross indecency with children.

Once on the register, an offender must keep the police informed of any change of address. The police are also entitled to make regular checks to ensure that the person is living in their registered home and is not re-offending.

DS Philpott said: "This goes to show that checking with offenders does pay dividends."

A judge at Maidstone Crown Court jailed Priday for 18 months for possessing the pornography.