A WORDSLEY man caught in possession of a microchip containing indecent photographs of children has avoided time behind bars.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Martin Walsh said it was more important to address the underlying behaviour behind the offence committed by 34-year-old James Hanmer.

The judge said it was accepted there were a limited number of images but he stressed the children had been clearly been subjected to serious abuse.

He added: "There would be no market for these kind of images if there was not a consumer for them at the end of the line.”

Hanmer, of Mellowdew Road, admitted possessing the indecent images and he was given a three year community programme with a condition he attends the sex offenders programme.

He was further disqualified from ever working with children and also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next five years.

Kanwal Juss, prosecuting, said police officers went to Hanmer’s home and found the microchip - the size of a fingernail - on a shelf in his bedroom.

The officers later discovered six images downloaded onto the chip - four at level one and two at level four, with level five being the most serious category.

Gurdeep Garcha, for Hanmer, said his client had no previous convictions of a sexual nature and stressed there was a very small number of images.

But he added that Hanmer accepted there were problems that had to be dealt with adding: "The barriers he has put up will have to be broken down."