Jasmine Rowbottom, 24, was caught with the depraved images, many of which included children and examples extreme pornography, after her home in Dudley, West Midlands was raided by specialist officers in 2016

A female paedophile who told detectives that a virus caused nearly 2,000 indecent images of children to be downloaded onto her computer has been spared jail.

Jasmine Rowbottom, 24, was caught with the depraved images, many of which included children and examples extreme pornography, after her home in Dudley, West Midlands was raided by specialist officers in 2016.

More than 50 pieces of computer equipment were examined revealing the sickening cache of images, which she denied any knowledge of.

Rowbottom denied the offences and claimed the images must have been caused by a virus on her computer or via a USB stick given to her years before.

Following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Rowbottom was found guilty of making indecent images and movies of children and possession of extreme pornography.

On Monday she was handed a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

She was also given a two-year supervision order, was placed on the sexual harm prevention order for ten years and the sex offenders register for ten years.