Fridae

The Bangkok Criminal Court has jailed a British man for 42 years for molesting homeless boys under the age of 15 - one of the longest terms Thailand has given to a foreigner for such a crime.

Robert Errol Woods, 24, was found guilty of molesting eight boys and producing pornographic material of himself having sex with them to distribute on the Internet, according to the BBC.

As an interpreter translated the verdict at the court on Monday, Woods banged his fists on the table and hurled abuse at the judge for which he received an additional two months jail. This was in spite of the judge cutting the sentence from his intended 63 years because of the defendant's "cooperative behaviour" during the trial.

Woods was detained in January at Bangkok's Don Muang airport, where he was due to board a flight o Dubai, on charges of child molestation and disseminating pornographic material on the Internet.

Thai police said Woods had molested boys aged seven to 13 years at a rented Bangkok apartment after he arrived in Thailand in August last year. Investigations by Thai and British police showed that Woods had photographed sexual acts with the boys and had posted about 300 pictures on the Internet. Thai police seized computers and digital photography equipment from Wood's room.

The case was passed from Manchester police last year after the force's abusive images unit "came into possession of a number of photos of the abuse of boys which were circulated on the Internet."

"Inquiries to trace the person responsible for distributing the images led to a British national living in Thailand. The case was passed to the Thai authorities," a Greater Manchester police spokesperson told the media.

Woods' lawyers have 30 days to lodge an appeal. Under British law, Woods could also face prosecution by courts in the UK for crimes committed abroad.