A 60-year-old man found with 350,000 indecent images of children on his computers has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Michael Bell was also given a Community Pay Back Order with supervision for three years and told to carry out 300 hours unpaid work Some of the photographs and videos found on the hard drives were Category A - regarded as the most severe.

Michael Bell downloaded the huge collection of child porn over a five and a half year period at his home in Town Yetholm.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of indent photographs and causing or permitting them to be taken.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told the court how police had received information about device connected to Bell's home was downloading indecent images of children and they were being shared.

A warrant was granted and police officers attended at the house on April 3 last year and Bell answered the door.

He was cautioned and he confirmed he lived alone and no-one else had access to his computer.

Mr Fraser said various search phrases were found on Bell's computer such as "Young School Model" and "Young Little Virgins'.

The hard drives of three devices were examined.

The first had 16 Category A - the most serious type - images and eight videos; 92 Category B images and eight videos and 34,201 Category C images and 46 videos.

The second hard drive had 10 category A videos, 61 Category B images and 99 videos and 160,927 images and 440 videos.

The third hard drive had 21 category A images and four videos, 352 Category B images and 49 videos and 153,952 Category C images and 259 videos.

Mr Fraser commented: "That is just short of 350,000 Category C images alone."

Category C are the least severe type of indecent images of children.