A Ferwig man has escaped immediate jail for possession of hundreds of indecent images of children dating back more than a decade after magistrates heard he had shown remorse and had ‘family support.’

Kevin Reed, of Maes Pedrog, appeared for sentencing before Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on 29 December.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty at a hearing at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on 4 December to making 832 indecent photographs of children – all of Category C – between 8 July 2011 and 8 November 2019.

Reed also pleaded guilty at that hearing to being found in possession of 282 prohibited images of children between 1 February 2016 and 3 August 2022.

All the offences took place in Ferwig.

Reed’s offending was aggravated, magistrates said, ‘due to the number of images.’

Magistrates sentenced Reed to 20 weeks in jail, but decided to suspend the jail term for 24 months.

Magistrates said that the offences “are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified” but that the sentence can be suspended because there is a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”, the “remorse shown” by Reed and that he has “family support.”

Reed was also made the subject of a community order by magistrates to be completed during the 24 month supervision period.

The order includes 150 hours of unpaid work to be completed with 12 months and up to 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

Reed will be on the sex offenders register for a period of seven years, and a seven year sexual harm prevention order was also made by magistrates.

A deprivation order was also made to take away Reed’s tablet, computer, memory card and three external hard drives.

Reed must also pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85 as well as a surcharge to fund victim services of £154.