AN order banning a 54-year-old former sex offender from viewing pornography of any kind was lifted by a judge after the police and probation service said he now poses a 'low risk' to the public.

In 2010, Evan Lloyd of Dudbridge Meadow, Stroud, admitted possessing 'vile' images of extreme pornography involving animals.

Prior to that, in 2006, he had been convicted of indecent exposure.

A lifelong sexual offences prevention order was imposed on him at the 2010 hearing.

It banned him from 'any form of device to access the internet to look at any form of pornography, whether it be a lawful image or unlawful image."

Today (Tuesday, January 24), Judge Jamie Tabor QC lifted the order at Gloucester Crown Court after reading a probation service report and hearing from Pc Wendy Heaton, who has been monitoring Lloyd's activities since 2008.

She told the court Lloyd is now 'in a better place' after the ending of a 'damaging relationship' with his wife of more than 20 years.

"I think his lifestyle is very different now," she said.

"He has learned to be more positive, more confident.

"He has ended what I think was a very damaging relationship with an ex wife which was very sexually pre-occupied, they had been married for over 20 years.

"He now has four grandchildren who play a massively important part in his life.

"He has two adult sons and he he spends a good deal of time with them, he is in a much, much better place."

Judge Tabor asked self-employed Mr Lloyd to go into the witness box and tell him more about his current lifestyle.

He asked how old the four grandchildren are and Mr Lloyd said one is not quite 12 months, another is 14 months and the older two are four and five years old.

Lifting the order, the judge said "The officer in the case has known him for a long time now and is quite convinced that the problem in his life, which she has described as a poisonous and harmful marriage, has passed on and his principal interest in life now is his grandchildren.

"The officer and the probation service say the risk is now reduced.

"There are many other people who the police need to keep an eye on and they need to concentrate on those who pose a threat.

"This man doesn't, according to the experts, so accordingly I shall remove the order. "