A MAN caught with hundreds of indecent images of babies and children has been spared jail.

Pervert Julian Brewer, of John Morris Road, Abingdon, had already admitted four counts of making indecent images.

Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing on Thursday how the 28-year old was caught after a national investigation cracking down on paedophiles accessing images of children being abused.

Brewer was caught by the National Crime Agency investigation as being part of a virtual ‘zoo’ conference in which indecent images were being shared to other users.

In one exchange, the court heard, Brewer asked to see ‘a boy being raped’.

When police later raided his home they seized a number of devices which were found to contain 114 indecent images in the most severe category – A, 23 in category B and a total of 31 in category C. The images depicted various instances of abuse from babies to children aged 16.

In mitigation, his defence barrister Tom Stevens said that his client was remorseful at what he had done and had taken steps to tackle his offending since he was caught.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Pringle QC said: “Those who consider the downloading of indecent photographs of children have no real victim have not thought about it hard enough.

“The sometimes agony that these young children go through on the films being seen are the victims of the offence.

“Those that download these images are simply creating a market for the misery inflicted upon these children.”

He was given a jail term totalling 14 months, suspended for two years and made subject to a community order to include 120 hours of unpaid work, and 25 days rehabilitation activity requirement.

Brewer must also take part in 35 sessions of the Horizon programme designed to tackle his offending and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.