A SEX offender who admitted to downloading more than 1,500 child abuse images on his work laptop has avoided going straight to prison.

Anthony Hillcoat, aged 53, of Oliver Road, Newport, told the city’s crown court he was ashamed of his actions and needed help.

Judge Richard Williams imposed a suspended jail sentence after it was heard that the defendant was capable of being rehabilitated.

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Hillcoat will have to attend the Horizon sex offender programme and was made the subject of the stringent conditions of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He will also be placed on the sex offender register for a decade until February 2030.

Prosecutor Nigel Fryer said: “The police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s address at 8am on January 7 2020.

“Mr Hillcoat wasn’t at home but officers gained entry using minimal force and they recovered a Lenovo computer which was analysed by a specialist.”

Mr Fryer said the defendant had 527 category A images - portraying the worst kind of child abuse - which was made up of 193 videos and 334 pictures.

He also had 413 category B images and 694 of category C.

When he was arrested at 2pm on January 7, Hillcoat was taken into custody and gave no comment answers in his police interview.

He did however say in a prepared statement: “I know I need help and I’m determined to tackle this issue.”

Hillcoat also said that his son’s heroin addiction had put him under a great deal of stress.

The court was told that the defendant had 13 previous convictions for 23 offences, including burglary, causing actual bodily harm and battery, but none that were relevant to this case.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children and one of possessing a prohibited image of a child which was a computer generated picture.

Hillcoat, who represented himself, said he had downloaded the images on his employer’s laptop and had resigned from his job once he had been charged.

The defendant, the court was told, had had a taste of prison after he was remanded in custody by magistrates after pleading guilty to the offences last month.

Hillcoat told Judge Richard Williams in mitigation: “I have got every chance of making sure I never make this mistake again.

“I’m going to make sure I get the help I need.”

He said he had had difficulty being able to tell the difference between “truth and reality for many years”.

Judge Williams told Hillcoat the Probation Service in their pre-sentence report had assessed him as being at a low risk of re-offending.

He jailed the defendant for 12 months, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete the 35-day Horizon programme.

Hillcoat must also pay a £140 victim surcharge.