Two in three child porn perverts spared jail: Outrage as 1,000 are given community or suspended sentences Campaigners want tougher sentences to reflect damage to children Growing concerns over the spread and impact of sickening material Has been linked to two high-profile child murders in recent weeks Two thirds of perverts caught downloading sickening child pornography escape a jail sentence, figures revealed last night. In a new soft-justice outrage, 1,000 paedophiles caught in possession of obscene abuse videos and pictures were handed community sentences or suspended jail terms last year. The revelation was greeted with fury by child abuse campaigners, who are demanding tougher sentences to reflect the damage done to the children pictured in the horrific images. Fury: In a new soft-justice outrage, 1,000 paedophiles caught in possession of obscene abuse videos and pictures were handed community sentences or suspended jail terms last year (picture posed by model) Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said: "I think the sentence should be proportionate to the severity of the impact of the crime. 'I can't think of any crimes worse than those that involve the abuse of the children. Therefore to not put those people away is to put our children in danger, because it sends the message that it is not a crime we take seriously. Every judge who passes those sentences is endangering our children. For the past year, the Daily Mail has highlighted the scandal of online porn and how easy it is for children to access it. There are growing concerns over the spread and impact of the sickening material, which has been linked to two high-profile child murders in recent weeks. Mark Bridger, who killed five-year-old April Jones in Wales, was "obsessed with child murder and child pornography," his trial heard. Sickening: April Jones killer Mark Bridger (left) was 'obsessed with child murder and child pornography'. Stuart Hazell (right), jailed for murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp, had searched for child porn on the internet Last month the Old Bailey heard how Stuart Hazell, jailed for murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp, had searched for child porn on the internet. The sentencing figures follow the revelation in the Mail last week that only one in every 15 people caught viewing paedophile images online is arrested. Computer hacker: Ryan Cleary, who was caught with 172 sickening images of abuse on his computer, was given a community sentence Ministry of Justice figures show a total of nearly 1,700 people were sentenced for the possession of obscene material last year - of whom the vast majority would have been for possession of child pornography. Just 466 were given an immediate custodial sentence. Of the remainder, 742 were handed community sentences, and 348 had their jail terms suspended. That means they will not be locked up unless they reoffend. Another 28 were given a conditional discharge - effectively a slap on the wrist - and 36 a fine. The maximum term is ten years in jail. Last week a computer hacker caught with 172 sickening images of abuse on his computer was given a community sentence, after the judge said he had already served a "substantial" amount of time in custody. Judge Deborah Taylor admitted Ryan Cleary, 21, posed a "risk" to children and ordered that he should never be alone with anyone under 16, but she said it was in the "public interest" for him to serve a community order. Peter Cuthbertson, director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: "Decent people will be shocked by the increasing overuse of community sentences and suspended sentences. There is a myth being spread by well-funded anti-prison groups that soft justice is only used for minor, first time offenders. In fact just last year 91,000 serious repeat offenders avoided prison. Prison is the best place to punish and treat people who view images of child abuse. It deters paedophiles and it may also prevent them going on to harm children themselves.