A pensioner who took two laptops to a computer repair shop at Prestatyn told a woman assistant: "If you find anything, it’s not me,” a court heard on Tuesday.

Caernarfon crown court was told the shopworker had been concerned and when one laptop was fixed she checked the history. Prosecuting barrister Ffion Tomos said search terms and visited websites indicated 77-year-old Ian May’s unhealthy interest.

May, of Steven Road, Prestatyn, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children, and possessing a prohibited image and extreme porn.

Judge Huw Rees imposed an eight months suspended jail term with a rehabilitation activity and 150 hours unpaid work. May must also register as a sex offender for ten years and a sexual harm prevention order was made. He has to pay £425 costs.

The judge said May was a candidate for intervention by the probation service. He told the defendant: "Showing any interest in such images creates a demand for further abuse of children to take place.”

He said May had 16 images in the worst category of seriousness. There were 21 other child porn images.

The prosecutor said the shopworker had alerted police and May was arrested in October 2018.

“He said he would gamble online for 24 hours a day and while he was putting bets on the horses he saw advertising pictures on the side of the screen which led him to access the indecent images of children,” Miss Tomos explained.

“He denied having a sexual interest in children. He saw the purpose of visiting these sites as a means of passing the time. He said it was a difficult period in his life and he had been under a lot of pressure.”

Defence barrister Simon Killeen said May had an “exemplary” character for 77 years. The sexual harm prevention order wasn’t contested.