A PERVERT who downloaded more than 1,700 child pornography videos and photos over six years has been deemed suitable to AVOID prison.

Thomas Bellew viewed footage of hideous sexual abuse, however, social workers and experts say he is of 'low risk' of reoffending and can be 'worked with'.

But a sheriff yesterday overlooked that as he the 42-year-old, of Port Glasgow, must be locked up.

Sheriff Derek Hamilton said: "It has been said in the past that those who access this material bear a responsibility for the abuse by creating a demand for this material.

"Notwithstanding that you have been assessed as low risk, given the serious nature of this matter there is no alternative in my opinion to a custodial sentence."

Bellew was caught in an early morning police raid after cybercrime officers were alerted to his online activities.

Victims of the abuse that he viewed were aged as young as seven.

Bellew sat stony-faced in the dock of Greenock Sheriff Court as the details of his crimes were narrated.

The paedophile had downloaded a total of 1,741 indecent images of children between March 2012 and May last year.

Defence lawyer David Tod told a sentencing hearing: "No-one appreciates the seriousness of this matter more than Mr Bellew."

Mr Tod added: "He accepts that something was seriously wrong in his life, and wrong with him, when he began to download these images.

"But if anyone can be dealt with in a way that is non-custodial it is Mr Bellew."

There were 50 Category A movies and 13 such photographs discovered on Bellew's laptop computer.

He had 40 Category B videos and photos and 1,638 Category C images.

Bellew pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of taking or permitting to be taken or making indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.

Solicitor Mr Tod said: "He is someone who is genuinely disgusted with himself.

"It is indicated in the reports that he can be worked with.

"Given his attitude and lack of record your Lordship could deal with this in a non-custodial way."

Sheriff Hamilton told Bellew that he would have been facing a sentence of two years had he not admitted to his crimes.

The lawman said: "I have got to have regard to the authorities of the High Court and the sentencing guidelines which provide a framework for cases such as this.

"The number of images and the category of them is an aggravating factor, as is the number of Category A images, and a number of those were moving images, which are considered to be more serious.

"And I must also consider the period over which these offences occurred."

The sheriff decided that the fact that Bellew is a first offender was not a sufficiently significant mitigating factor in this case to spare him prison.

He sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.