THOUSANDS of child abuse images were found on devices belonging to a Caldicot man, after police received intelligence they were being downloaded.

Raymond Taylor was given a suspended prison sentence after he admitted possessing indecent images of children.

Two of the illegal files found on Taylor's laptop were videos that fell into Category A – the most serious type. They showed the abuse of children aged between five and 12, the hearing at Cardiff Crown Court was told on Friday. One of the videos was more than 11 minutes long and the other was around nine minutes long.

There were also seven files of Category B and 4,117 of Category C, Marian Lewis, prosecuting, said. The images had been obtained through online file-sharing services.

More Category C images were also found on a hard drive that police seized at Taylor's address, where he lives with his parents, Ms Lewis told the court.

William Bebb, defending, said Taylor, who has no previous convictions, was in a "complete and utter hole" with regard to his mental health at the time of the offending.

The 46-year-old defendant, who trained as a graphic designer, is "horrified" by his actions, which were a "terrible misjudgement", Mr Bebb said, adding that there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

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Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Taylor, of Sandy Lane, Caldicot, to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. He is also subject to a curfew for the next four months.

Viewing and downloading such illegal images were "serious offences" that "perpetuate the market in child abuse images and, therefore, in child abuse," the judge told him, adding that Taylor would have been sent straight to prison if he'd had more Category A files.

Taylor must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 40 hours of rehabilitative activity, and will be placed on the sex offenders' register for the next 10 years.