A MAN has avoided jail after admitting making and distributing thousands of indecent images of children.

Christopher Beynon, aged 67 of Cranleigh Road, Bournemouth, was sentenced to two years - but that jail term was suspended for two years.

Beynon had already pleaded guilty to seven charges at an earlier hearing.

However, on Friday at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Haggan heard compelling evidence showing Beynon - of previous good character - had made efforts to address his behaviour, by contacting a therapist, before he was first arrested by police last summer.

Earlier in the court hearing, Robin Sellers, prosecuting, explained: “Information was received by the police that a Category A image had been uploaded from a google email address.

“The investigation led back to the defendant. In June 2016 a warrant was issued.”

Mr Sellers said that when police attended Beynon’s address: “He (Beynon) immediately stated he was in possession of indecent images of children across three devices.”

Police seized an iPad, a laptop computer and a mobile phone.

Later investigations revealed Beynon possessed 858 Category A images, including 405 videos; 939 Category B images, including 409 videos; and 6,171 Category C images, with five videos.

He was also charged with possession of an extreme pornographic image and three charges of distributing indecent images of children.

The distribution charges related to files Beynon uploaded to the ‘cloud’ and shared with just one other person – an individual, unknown to the defendant, who lived in Ireland.

These distributed pictures of indecent images of children included 288 Category A images, with 27 videos; 363 Category B images, with 142 videos; and 2,947 Category C images.

Mitigating, Matthew Butt said: “He has been open and honest about this serious criminal behaviour he’s been involved in.”

The court heard Beynon had also successfully completed courses, post arrest, run by the Lucy Faithful Foundation, a child protection charity that works with sex offenders.

Mr Butt said: “He has for some time had significant problem with the criminal viewing of images of young children.”

Benyon also received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered him to pay £510 costs.