A PENSIONER who downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children has had his name placed on the sex offenders register for the next 18 months.

Seventy-five-year-old Robert Hunter committed the offence between December 2019 and November 2020 at a house in Birgham, Berwickshire.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told 333 still images and two video files were found on a laptop, while a further 11 images were discovered on a hard drive.

The court heard the approximate age of the girls in the images ranged from infant to 16.

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Defence lawyer Mark Harrower said his client had never been in trouble before after a long career in the Merchant Navy.

He added his appearance in court for the offence was of "great embarrassment" to him.

Hunter, who gave an address at Towerdykeside in Hawick, was given an 18-month Community Pay Back Order with supervision and was also made subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for the same period.

He was also barred from accessing any computer which does not keep a recorded history of search use.