A TEENAGE computer hacker who stole people's bank details and downloaded indecent images of children from the internet has been spared jail.

Aaron Coster, 18, hacked into more than 100 people's computers in England and abroad and used their bank details to buy computer equipment and games for himself.

Separately, he also downloaded indecent images of children, with 26 of the most serious nature found on computers seized by police from his address.

Police starting investigating Coster in 2013 after getting a tip-off about the indecent images.

He pleaded guilty to nine offences at a hearing in November last year: three counts of unauthorised computer access, one of fraud by false representation, three of making an indecent image of a child, and one of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

On Friday (January 29) at Hove Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years jail suspended for two years and served with a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He is also required to carry out 250 hours unpaid work.

Detective Constable David Hull, of the Surrey and Sussex Cyber Crime Unit, said Coster had become "very skilled" at using computer technology, adding: "We hope that the sentencing will encourage him to put his skills to legitimate use to the benefit of law-abiding society."