Convicted paedophile John White had his 25-year sentence cut to 18 years on appeal yesterday for the sexual assault of three boys.

White ? a 39-year-old former Policeman ? was sentenced a year ago for 11 sexual offences against three boys ? between the ages of ten and 12 ? over a five-year period.

On Monday, White?s overseas counsel, John Perry QC argued White?s current 25-year sentence was ?excessive?. Describing the charges as ?relatively minor?, he called for a lesser sentence.

Mr. Perry argued trial judge Carlisle Greaves was wrong to pass the maximum sentence because the actual behaviour had not been the worst of its kind.

In a written judgment handed down yesterday the Appeals Court agreed the sentence should not be excessive to the overall criminality of the defendant.

Acting Appeals Court President Anthony Evans said: ?The judge made clear both in his summation and his sentencing remarks that he regarded the appellant?s conduct with extreme distaste.

?We share that feeling but at the same time we must acknowledge that a worse case might occur, though so far as we are aware it has never done so on these islands, and we sincerely hope it never will.?

The Appeals Court held that the offences were not part of a continuous course of conduct over the five-year period but White had been opportunistic.

?He took advantage of the opportunities that arose in three, totally unrelated situations in which he found himself or which he engineered for his own purposes.

?In each case he was able to persuade the mother of a young boy that she should permit him to be an older brother or a generous father-figure for him.

?That was the nature of the trust which he sought as the opportunity arose and which he abused in each of these cases.?

Accepting the judge was right to pass deterrent sentences in the circumstances of this case, the Appeals Court found he had been wrong to pass 20-year sentences for offences of sexual assault and sexual exploitation. They quashed six of those sentences and replaced them with 16-year sentences.

And they ruled the 25-year sentence for a serious sexual assault on one of the three boys was excessive and should not have exceeded 18 years which the bench replaced it with.

The judges upheld the rest of the sentences which ran concurrently ? resulting in White getting his total sentence reduced to 18 years from 25 years.

Earlier this week, the Appeals Court had thrown out a bid by Mr. Perry to have White?s convictions quashed.