A 74-YEAR-OLD found in possession of almost 1,700 indecent images and videos of children has had his sentencing delayed after an "error" in the magistrates’ court.

Keith Hurton, of Heol Hathren in Cwmann, appeared at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on July 26.

There, he pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing indecent images of a child on June 29 at his home address.

The charge related to nine Category A – the most serious type – images, nine Category B images, 1,670 Category C images, and five Category C videos.

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He was due to be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, September 21, but the hearing could not go ahead.

“There’s an error in what’s happened in the magistrates’ court,” said Judge Catherine Richards. “There’s no way around this other than to list the case back in the magistrates’ court and lay the proper charges.

“I am sorry, it is effectively down to a legal procedural issue.”

Judge Richards said the case would be sent back to the magistrates’ court to put the “three or four charges” to Hurton.