A PERVERT caught with hundreds of images of 'grotesque' child sexual abuse - with some victims as young as two years old - has been spared jail.

Callum Stringer had already admitted three counts of making indecent images.

Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing hearing on Thursday how the 28-year-old of Wood Street, Wallingford, was caught after a police raid at his home on October 18 2018.

Police seized a Dell Laptop and a hard drive and on analysing the devices a stash of banned images of children was discovered.

In total, he was found to have 116 images in category A - the most severe category, 107 in category B and 418 in category C.

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Prosecutors said that the haul contained 'pictures of very young children between two and six.'

When he was interviewed about the images he made no comment but went on to plead guilty to the offences.

In mitigation at his sentencing hearing Scott Primmer said that his client deserved 'full credit' for his early guilty plea.

He added that Stringer had expressed 'remorse and regret'.

The court went on to hear that Stringer - who has no previous convictions - had previously suffered anxiety and depression as well as substance misuse.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Pringle QC said: "It is clear from the [National Probation Service] report that you understand that doing this creates a market for these types of images.

"It causes children, sometimes extremely young children, to be abused and I hope you never forget that."

Stringer was handed a community order for two years.

That order will include a rehabilitation activity requirement for 35 days and he must pay court costs of £425 and a victim surcharge.

He will also sign the sex offenders register for five years.