A WIDOWER who downloaded child and extreme pornography after the death of his wife from cancer was spared an immediate prison sentence.

Michael Gurney, aged 49, possessed 12 category A images – depicting the most serious form of child abuse – and 161 extreme pornographic images, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

The latter were labelled “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character”.

Prosecutor Matthew Roberts said officers from Gwent Police’s high tech crime unit raided the defendant’s Pontypool home on November 5 where they found the images stored on a computer.

Gurney also had one picture each of category B and C child abuse images.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child and one charge of possessing extreme pornography.

The offences were committed between 2013 and 2018.

Sarah Iles, mitigating, said her client had lost his wife to cancer in 2012 after taking early redundancy to be her carer.

She told Judge Jeremy Jenkins that Gurney, of Hill Street, Pontnewynydd, had been in a “bad place and was very unwell” after her death and began drinking before he started downloading the images.

His lawyer said the defendant had not viewed any images for four years before he began doing so six to eight weeks before his arrest.

She added: “The trigger was a feeling of hopelessness and he began drinking on the anniversary of his wife’s death.

“He was at home and curiosity and boredom took over.

“The Probation Service had said he is at a low risk of reoffending and he displays genuine remorse.

“He feels ashamed and accepts that he needs help.”

Judge Jenkins jailed Gurney for 26 weeks, suspended for two years, a two-year community order and a 25-day rehabilitation and activity requirement.

He was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and must register as a sex offender for the same period of time.