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A pervert who stockpiled abuse images and videos of children as young as two has had his sentence cut after judges heard he was going through a "gender identity crisis" at the time.

London's Criminal Appeal Court was told it was Sarbjeet Jagdev's confusion over his sexuality the led him to view and store 1,400 sexual images of very young girls.

Because of his "strict upbringing", the 23-year-old, of Ambassador Road, Goodwood, Leicester, had been "unable to confront" his belief that he was transgender.

Jagdev was jailed for three years at Leicester Crown Court in May after he admitted seven counts of possessing indecent images of children.

But Mr Justice Spencer, sitting at the Appeal Court with Lord Justice Flaux and Judge David Aubrey QC, cut his sentence to two years.

The court heard that, after his arrest last year, Jagdev sought counselling and therapy for his gender issues and compulsion to view child porn.

His lawyers told the court: "There is substantial evidence that he tried to address his offending behaviour.

"For some years, he had been troubled by a crisis of gender identity which he had been unable to confront."

Allowing the appeal, Mr Justice Spencer said: "There was a high volume of images and they included moving images.

"The fundamental question is whether the judge took a starting point which was manifestly excessive having regard to the mitigation.

"He had expressed and demonstrated remorse and started to address his offending behaviour.

"In the circumstances the proper sentence here was two years."