A NEWPORT man has avoided jail after admitting three counts of possessing indecent images of children, two years after receiving a community order for the same offence.

Macauley Webb,22, of Monnow Way, Newport, was already the subject of a three year community order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after being caught with indecent photographs of children in 2016.

Cardiff Crown Court heard he had already committed one “technical breach” of the order since it was imposed.

But despite this, Webb, who suffers from autism and lives in a residential care home, was able to use his mobile phone to download 416 moving images of children to a storage cloud.

Of these, 228 were classed as category A, the most serious, 112 as category B and 76 as category C.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that officers found the defendant had wiped his phone’s history during a check on June 25 this year, and confiscated it.

“The officers were able to see the phone had a cloud account attached,” said prosecutor Timothy Evans.

“They took the phone away and asked the defendant for the password. He gave the incorrect details.”

But, continued Mr Evans, Webb later admitted downloading the images to the cloud to a support worker at his residential home.

When the police returned to the home, Webb was truthful with them and admitted downloading the images.

“He did say that there were family difficulties,” added Mr Evans.

“An older man in the family was encouraging him at that time, he said.”

In mitigation, Gareth Williams for the defence told the court his client had actually completed the requirements of the SHPO, even though it was still in force.

In sentencing, Judge Neil Bidder QC told Webb he knew that downloading these images was wrong.

“You know why it is so wrong. Because the abuse of these children is terrible, and it perpetuated by people like you who watch this sick images.

“You know because you were convicted in 2016 of possession of indecent photos.

“You had failed to comply with the order on another occasion, though that was a technical breach.

“On this occasion there was a clear breach.

“You made a truthful confession that you had done something very wrong. You knew what you were doing was wrong. I regard that as a serious matter.

“The only sentence that can be imposed is one of custody. I revoke the community order.

“You did the sexual harm prevention course but it didn’t stop you doing this.

“The probation service still think that it’s possible to rehabilitate you by means of one to one work.

“I think this perhaps could have been recognised on a previous occasion.”

On Wednesday, December 12, Judge Bidder gave Webb an eight month sentence, suspended for two years. He was made the subject of a SHPO for 10 years and ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work.

A victim surcharge of £140 was also imposed.