A Gwent rugby coach who viewed indecent images has won an appeal against a court order banning him from unsupervised contact with children.

Justin Lewis, 45, was handed the order last November after he admitted accessing images of child sex abuse on the internet.

The rugby coach, of Shakespeare Close, Caldicot, escaped being jailed when he was handed a three-year community order.

But he was also banned from living in the same house as children or any unsupervised contact with youngsters.

However today, after an appeal by his lawyers, the prohibitions were quashed by three top judges at London's Court of Appeal.

The Argus understands he had coached youngsters at Caldicot Rugby Club. The club declined to comment at the time of his sentencing last year.

His lawyers had argued that Lewis was 'mortified' by what he had done and there was 'no risk' of him actually abusing a child.

Giving judgment, Lord Justice Elias said: 'An order should only be made where it is necessary to protect the public from sexual harm from the defendant.'

The court heard the images which Lewis was found to have accessed involved children aged between two and 14.

He had also viewed an illegal image depicting sex between a woman and a horse.

He pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography and was given the order at Cardiff Crown Court.

Lord Justice Elias, sitting with Mr Justice Jeremy Baker and Judge Neil Ford QC, said Lewis had shown 'real remorse' for his actions.

As well as removing the ban on unsupervised contact with children, the judges reduced indefinite restrictions on Lewis' web use to 10 years.

That restriction was necessary, given the fact he had described himself as a 'weak man' who had become 'obsessed' with the images.