A Montreal man convicted of sexually assaulting his young daughter and posting pictures of the crime on the internet has had his prison sentence reduced by the Quebec Court of Appeal.

In a 2-1 ruling on Tuesday, the court ruled the man's crimes were not among the worst sexual assaults ever committed, and agreed to reduce his sentence from 15 years to nine.

"There was no violence, such as gagging, threatening or hitting the child," Judge Lise Côté wrote.

The 32-year-old — who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter — was found guilty in March 2005 of sexual assault and of producing, possessing and distributing child pornography.

The assaults started when his daughter was 24 months old and lasted for two years.

The man, who is a father of four, was given the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison in November 2005.

When the court reduced that sentence on Tuesday, Côté cited the man's young age and the fact that he has only one other criminal conviction (for sexually assaulting another child when he was 17).

The prosecution's case was based on roughly 5,000 pictures and 5,000 videos found on the man's computer, some featuring very young children.