A PAEDOPHILE was 'talked down from a bridge' the day before his sentencing, a court has heard.

Lewis Arnold, 27, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (March 7) for three counts of making indecent images/pseudo-images of children.

He was caught with 75 Category A images, 40 of which were moving, 16 Category B images, five of which were moving, and 38 Category C images, six of which were moving.

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During the sentencing, it was heard Arnold had to be talked down from a bridge the day before the court hearing where it was understood he had been trying to take his own life.

Arnold cried throughout the sentencing, covering his ears and rocking back and forth.

Sentencing Arnold to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “I don’t even want to see you in this court again, do you understand?”

During the proceedings, it was heard that officers searched Arnold’s home in Parliament Road, Thame on June 7 last year after it was revealed an IP address he was using had been uploading indecent images.

His iPhone and laptop were seized and Arnold was arrested. When he was later dropped him by police, Arnold handed over a second iPhone which police had missed during the initial search.

After his devices were analysed, it was revealed that Arnold had been using chatroom apps such as Omegle and Telegram as well as making inappropriate searches online such as ‘Omegle young girls’.

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The videos on his phone include children as young as 18 months and several including acts of rape.

Arnold, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity on February 6 at Oxford Magistrates’ Court.

His defence barrister, Bethan Chichester, told the court that Arnold is an ‘extremely damaged man’ who suffered from sexual abuse as a child.

It was heard his younger brother had also been stabbed in the abdomen when he was four years old.

Ms Chichester said: “It’s something he never really dealt with or came to terms with. He struggles significantly from mental health issues and there have been numerous suicide attempts and yesterday he was talked down from a bridge.”

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Sentencing Arnold, Judge Gledhill said: “It’s not in the public interest to send you to prison straight away and it’s not going to assist the people photographed in that wile way.”

Arnold was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

There will also be court costs and a victim surcharge.