A paedophile who drew cartoons depicting images of child abuse in his prison cell has had his sentence cut.

Adam Paul Gregory, 38, was serving time for taking indecent photos of children at Bullingdon Prison, in Bicester, when police discovered 107 “hand-drawn indecent images of children” which he said were for “his own sexual interest”. But there was also evidence that he had given some of the drawings to another inmate, Judge Andrew Gilbart QC told London’s Appeal Court this week.

The drawings were described in court as “cartoonish” in style, but also as “deeply unpleasant and very graphic”, depicting imaginary children involved in sex acts with adults. Gregory was jailed for two years at Oxford Crown Court in June after he admitted possessing prohibited images of children.

He also had a previous conviction for sexually assaulting a child, the Appeal Court heard.

His lawyers challenged his sentence with claims that it was out of proportion to his offence, and the Appeal Court judges cut the term to 18 months. Judge Gilbart, sitting with Mr Justice Sweeney, accepted the images did not depict the “actual abuse of children” and concluded that the crown court judge should have “fixed a lower tariff”.