An Abergavenny man avoided jail last week after being caught with hundreds of child abuse images and videos.

During a search of his Park Lane home, police found 643 indecent images and 41 videos of children on Jeffrey Hardwick’s computer and memory sticks after arresting the 66-year-old at work on October 30 this year.

The haul included 196 images and 26 videos in the most serious ‘A’ category, along with 207 images and eight videos in category ‘B’. Another 240 images and seven videos were classed as category ‘C’ alongside 19 images of extreme pornography.

Hardwick pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Newport Magistrates Court, to three charges of making indecent images of children, and one of possessing extreme pornography.

The former BBC engineer, who attended Newport Crown Court last week, was sentenced to a three-year community order meaning he must complete a rehabilitation programme, in addition to 140 hours of unpaid work.