A BLACKWOOD man who was jailed after police found child porn on his computer for a fourth time has been labelled not 'dangerous' by appeal judges as they slashed his sentence today.

Christopher Hayes, 45, of Gelli Lane, Pontllanfraith, repeatedly breached court orders aimed at diverting him from sex crime.

After a handful of non-custodial sentences, he was jailed at Cardiff Crown Court in May last year.

He was given a seven-and-a-half year extended sentence, comprising two-and-a-half years' custody and five on extended licence.

But today, three top judges said it had been wrong to classify him as a 'dangerous offender' and slashed the sentence.

The appeal judges, sitting in London, removed the five-year extended licence period, paving the way for Hayes' supervised release after serving only 15 months.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall said the risk of harm to children was too remote in cases of child porn possession to justify a finding that he is a 'danger'.

The court heard Hayes had been downloading indecent material from March to May 2011.

He was given a community order, but within a year had offended again.

He was subject to a sexual offences prevention order for that when police went to his home in August 2014.

On a laptop, they found hundreds of images of child porn.

They returned to see him again in February last year, when he admitted having pawned another laptop.

When it was retrieved, even more child porn was discovered.

He admitted three counts of possessing indecent images of children, putting him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for similar offences earlier.

Sentencing, the crown court judge said he considered Hayes 'dangerous' and so liable to a long sentence with an additional licence period.

But after an appeal by his lawyers, Mrs Justice Thirlwall, Lord Justice Elias and Judge James Burbidge QC reduced the sentence.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall said: “These were serious offences and it is correct that he had treated the sentences of the court with contempt.

“He had also treated the sexual offences prevention order with similar contempt.”

But she added: “The learned judge was not entitled to find he was dangerous.”