A MAN from near the Powys border who admitted making indecent pictures of children has avoided jail at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Samuel Rolfe, 35 and of Lydbury North, near Bishops Castle, indicated guilty pleas to three charges at Telford Magistrates court on May 14 and had originally been scheduled to be sentenced earlier this month.

However, he missed that hearing because of an misunderstanding and attended court on Tuesday, July 16.

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Judge Peter Barrie heard that on November 7, 2023, police raided his home at 7am and were told by his mother than he was in his bed.

They recovered a desktop computer where they found 68 Category A indecent images of a child – the most serious type – in Lydbury North on that day.

They also found 67 Category B and 26 Category C; however, all were inaccessible.

Prosecutor Alexa Carrier said that the recovered computer also showed that Rolfe had carried out multiple search times relating to child sex abuse.

He also searched for content involving children as young as three years old. He made no comment during his interviews with police.

Miss Carrier said the case was aggravated by Rolfe attempting to destroy the images to avoid detection and the age of the children.

Kevin Jones, defending, told Judge Barrie that his client ‘understood’ the nature of the offence and said that "unusually for these cases, he had engaged honestly with the pre-sentence report".

Judge Barrie handed Rolfe a 15-month community order for all three offences, plus a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for five years.

He said: “Though you have come to understand the seriousness of the offending it is the still the age of the children involved.

“It is in the public interest that you follow the training to help you, including the MAPS for Change programme.

“You must do your best to learn from the rehabilitation programme and your best to do the unpaid work you are assigned.”

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He was ordered to pay £150 towards costs, complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and 60 hours of unpaid work.

He will also be placed on the barred list for education.

Judge Barrie added: “A five-year SHPO will give police the opportunity to check what you use the internet for to stop you looking at this type of material again.”