ITV Real Housewives of Cheshire star and model Leilani Dowding took to social media in tears after Huw Edwards was spared time in prison after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children as young as seven.

The former Miss Great Britain, 44, filmed herself sobbing as she raged that "justice" had not been served after Edwards, 63, was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence for his crimes.

Leilani said in view of her 156,000 Twitter followers: "I don't have children, but I think they are the most important things in the world so when someone has pictures of children and they don't spend a single day in jail, I don't understand how that is justice.

"I'm really upset... and I'm angry, that's why I'm crying. It's like, what can we do about it when we don't have a justice system. They will lock people [in jail] who go out and protest... there are people in jail because of Facebook posts right now... and this f***ing guy has got off and the person that sent him the pictures has got off.

"Are we going to protect children?"

Huw was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.

Of the indecent images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.

The disgraced BBC newsreader was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years and put on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

A judge also ordered that Edwards pay £3,000 in prosecution costs, be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said he accepts Edwards had previously been of "exemplary" good character "having enjoyed a very successful career in the media". He added that Edwards' "long-earned reputation is in tatters".

The judge continued: "I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation."

Following the sentencing, the BBC said Edwards had "betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him" - adding that the corporation was "appalled by his crimes".