A MAN who downloaded indecent images of children has been sent to prison for nine months by a judge who said he was not convinced he understood the severity of his offending.

Mark Anthony Jones, 33, used peer-to-peer software to download the images, but claimed he had done so accidentally and some of the images were “art”.

Mold Crown Court heard police executed a warrant at his home and when they searched his bedroom they found “sexualised cartoons” on a computer screen.

There were also other indecent images founds, including 25 films classed as category A, and his browser history was indicative of searches made for child sex abuse, including terms like “homemade incest”.

Jones, of The Ridgeway, Marchwiel, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing indecent images of children between January and August last year.

Defence barrister Henry Hills said Jones’ best mitigation was his guilty plea.

Mr Hills admitted: “He continues to minimise his behaviour, but that is not unusual in these situations.

“He’s a loner and he is described as a man of low self-esteem, confidence and self-worth.”

The barrister proposed that Meaden be spared jail so he could attend a sex offenders' programme.

But Judge David Hale disagreed and told Jones: “They are quite foul films of children being abused and it must have been obvious that they were being abused.

“You cannot accept you have a sexual interest in children being abused, but that’s nonsense.

“You are not claiming that this Japanese stuff (cartoons) is of value and art work.

“You knew what you were doing because of how you were looking up these search terms.”

Jones was also placed under a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to register as a sex offender for the same length of time.

He was also told to pay a £140 victim surcharge.