A MAN caught with over 100 photographs and videos of child abuse has been spared a prison term.

Callum Clarke used a specialist application to download sickening images, which included the abuse of children as young as four.

Instead of jailing him, Judge Niclas Parry handed Clarke a strict regime where he will have to undergo 35 sessions of a sexual offenders’ programme to tackle his perverse thinking. The judge suspended the defendant’s 12-month sentence for two years.

Mold Crown Court heard that Clarke’s home was raided by police who had intelligence that someone in the property had “an inappropriate interest in children”.

They found he had used an application to download material, including 52 of those in the most serious category A, as well as 27 in category B and 22 in category C.

Clarke’s web history also showed evidence of searches for animal pornography.

He told police he had found a link to the downloaded content but couldn’t explain why he had left the material on his phone and claimed he had no sexual interest in children.

Clarke, 24, of Maelor View, Brymbo pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children in categories A, B and C.

Defence barrister Henry Hills admitted the images in category A were “gross”, but that Clarke had minimised his offending behaviour when discussing the offences with a probation officer preparing a pre-sentence report.

But Mr Hills added: “The officer says he would benefit from rehabilitation work in terms of his perverse thoughts.

“There are tragic circumstances surrounding the death of his partner when he was 17 and he suffers from ADHD.”

Judge Parry told Clarke to complete 40 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will have to register as a sex offender.