A MAN caught with more than 64,000 indecent photographs of children on his computer has been spared jail.

Simon Hedges, of Orchard Way, Wheatley, received a community order yesterday [apr30] at Oxford Crown Court.

The 51-year-old admitted three counts of making indecent images of children between August 2008 and December 2013.

Prosecuting, Robert Salis, said police searched Hedges’ home on December 18, 2013, finding images on electronic storage devices. He told Judge Ian Pringle there were between 400 and 500 images that were in the most serious category, showing child abuse taking place.

The barrister said there were also images in a folder that could have been shared over the internet, but it was accepted that this was not deliberate.

Alistair Grainger, defending, said his client needed help tackling his “addiction” to looking at the images.

He said: “This is a man who does need some degree of help. One may liken it to alcoholism or an illness. It could be treated and could never come back.”

Judge Pringle told Hedges: “Possession of these types of images is a serious offence.

“Looking at these images creates a market, and you fed off that market.”

Hedges was given a two year community order, with a sex offenders’ treatment programme and supervision and was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order restricting the use of electronic devices to access the internet.