A pervert who downloaded vile child sex abuse images while on licence for similar offences has walked free after a judge decided he was suitable for a sex offender programme.

Clive Evans was jailed for two years at Norwich Crown Court in May 2014 and made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

But soon after his release, he offended again, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

The 56-year-old was arrested in February last year when Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team raided his home in Seal Road, Sevenoaks, and seized computer equipment.

Officers discovered 453 images and videos depicting sexual activity with children at all levels of seriousness. There were also extreme images of adults having sex with animals.

He admitted four offences of taking an indecent image a child, one of possessing an extreme pornographic image, one of possessing a prohibited image of a child and one of distributing an indecent image of a child.

Eve George, defending, said the court would be considering imprisonment, but added that Evans needed assistance in overcoming his urges.

“My submission is to take a constructive approach so that some assistance is given to this man,” she said.

The start of his problems, she said, was when in 2011 he was diagnosed with bowel and prostate cancer.

Evans, who worked as an installation manager for oil and gas, started going online to get assistance with his condition.

“Custody has been tried and custody has failed,” said Miss George. “He has come out of prison and he has embarked on doing it again.

“He doesn’t want to offend any more. It would be more beneficial for him if he is at large for treatment under a suspended sentence.

“Sadly, help wasn’t offered to him on the first occasion. That’s the reason he finds himself in court today.”

Judge Martin Joy said Evans’ previous conviction was a troubling aspect of the case.

“There is an extremely helpful pre-sentence report,” he told Evans. “It quite plainly recognises the need to assess the danger you pose and how the risk might be reduced.

“Real children – real human beings – are the victims in this sort of case. They are real people being abused and damaged.

“The report tentatively suggested you may not present a risk which is strictly defined in statute. The report is realistic that you have plainly got a sexual interest in children.

“The report says you spoke about making positive changes to address the level of risk you pose. There is a recognition of an inherent problem here.

“It says you pose a low risk of harm to the public, which I reject. I don’t think you do pose a low risk. You were released from prison only shortly before this happened again.

“Real children – real human beings – are the victims in this sort of case. They are real people being abused and damaged" - Judge Martin Joy

“You were deemed unsuitable for a sex offenders’ programme given your denial of interest in children.”

The judge said the report stated Evans was suitable for a Horizon programme, which is aimed at medium risk offenders.

“I, therefore, intend to take that course,” he added.

Evans was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years with a requirement to attend a sex offenders’ programme.