A “SHY and withdrawn man lacking in social skills” was found with almost 5,000 indecent images of children.

David Bolton had a total of 4,856 images of girls, generally aged between eight and 10, at his home in Laburnum Grove, Didcot.

The 48-year-old was living with a family friend when police raided the address at 7am on March 1.

Bolton was given a two-year community order at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, having earlier admitted four counts of making indecent images of children.

Tony McGeorge, defending, said: “None of this material has been stored. It had all been deleted and as far as this defendant was aware it had gone.

“This is a shy and withdrawn man lacking in social skills.

“He has been subjected to abuse, people spitting at him in the street.

“He needs help. He doesn’t know why he started to do this.”

Judge Mary Jane Mowat gave Bolton a two-year supervision order with a ‘cyber safe’ intervention programme.

She said: “As always, the court is faced with the frustration of the sentence regime and the regulations and available treatment options.

“If I give you a six-month (jail) sentence there’s no prospect of your receiving any treatment programme.”

Bolton will be on the sex offender register for five years.