A FORMER RAF airman who downloaded indecent photos of children onto his computer in his barracks room won his freedom yesterday after senior judges reduced his 18-month jail term.

London's Criminal Appeal Court decided James Richard Poole's sentence was excessive and instead imposed a three-month term.

Poole, 34, of Hollinswood, Telford, was jailed at Teesside Crown Court on October 17, last year, after he was found guilty of 11 counts of taking indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. He was acquitted of one count.

The pictures were discovered in his room in Blackburn Barracks while he was serving at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

Mr Justice Stanley Burnton, sitting with Lord Justice Pill and Judge Simon Fawcus, said that in August 2001, Ministry of Defence officers came to his room to arrest him on an unrelated matter which did not result in any criminal proceedings.

But they seized computer equipment and it was found he had been accessing a number of indecent photos of children on the Internet and making copies.

Mr Justice Stanley Burnton said Poole was of previous good character, serving in the RAF for 12 years. There was no evidence of him making any profit from the offences.