AN internet paedophile who downloaded child abuse images and extreme animal pornography has escaped a prison sentence.

Simon Kirkham-Jones, aged 34, of Caerphilly Road, Newport, was caught after police raided his home last year.

Prosecutor Ruth Smith said officers found category A pictures, depicting the worst kind of child abuse, on one of his laptops.

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Cardiff Crown Court heard how the six still images showed children between five and 10 being sexually assaulted.

Kirkham-Jones also had three category B photographs and 63 at category C.

They were discovered on a variety of electronic devices.

Miss Smith told the court: “There was no evidence of distribution found on the items taken by police officers from the defendant’s house.”

Kirkham-Jones, who had his head bowed down throughout the proceedings, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children and one of possessing extreme animal pornography.

The offences were committed in September 2018.

Harry Baker, mitigating, said: “The defendant has no previous convictions. He lives with his parents and is single.

“He is in work and it seems that is likely to continue. He has been assessed as posing a low risk of reoffending.”

Judge Richard Twomlow told Kirkham-Jones that the possession of category A images usually attracted an immediate prison sentence.

But, he said, because of the likelihood the defendant could be rehabilitated and his lack of any previous convictions, he did not have to follow that course.

Judge Twomlow handed down a three-year community order.

Within that period, Kirkham-Jones will have to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work in the community and complete 36 sessions on the Horizon sex offender programme.

He must also contribute £300 towards prosecution costs and pay a victim surcharge.

Kirkham-Jones will have to register as a sex offender for an amount of time that was not specified in open court.

The judge warned the defendant before he left the dock: “Breaches of these orders usually attract an immediate custodial sentence.”