A former finalist in the Young Musician of the Year competition was in court for a second time for downloading indecent images of children.

Piano player Julian Cheriyan, 38, who reached the final in 1996, received a suspended jail sentence and must attend a sex offender treatment programme.

In March 2003 he was jailed for six months for 13 counts of making (downloading) indecent images by a judge at Croydon Crown Court, who also banned him from working with children.

On Friday, St Albans Crown Court heard police raided his home in Bushey early in the morning of 9 February last year.

At first he denied he had been accessing child sex abuse images, but shortly afterwards admitted it and was arrested at 7.15am that morning.

Prosecutor Alan Blake said the officers examined seven electronic devices found in his home and found seven Category A images, which are the most serious kind.

There were eight at Category B and 3 at Category C, the least serious. There were also three movies involving bestiality.

Cheriyan, from Bushey, pleaded guilty to three charges of making (downloading) indecent photos of children and one of possessing extreme pornography.

Defending, Francis McGrath said the self-employed musician had suffered trauma as a child.

Judge Andrew Bright QC told him: "You are a man with a previous conviction for similar offending.

"People like you are the market for those who abuse children to order to put images of them on screen. You should know the appalling effect that has on children."

The judge said a custodial sentence was the only way of dealing with him, but he said he would suspend it so he can undergo a treatment programme.

He went on: "You would benefit from a Sexual Offender treatment programme from the probation service to try and get to the heart of underlying problems you have which cause you to want to view these images.

"But the message needs to get home now that if you commit this type of offence again you will go straight to prison. The court has got to the end of its tether with you. If there is any breach of order and you come back before me, you will go immediately to prison."

He sentenced him to six months suspended for two years. He must attend a 60 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and a sex offender treatment programme.

The judge made a sexual harm prevention order. It includes conditions that Cheriyan must not tamper with risk management software installed on his computers by the police, make his storage devices available to officers and must not delete Internet history.