A Workington farmer became 'a pariah' in his community after press reports exposed how he downloaded and shared sickening child abuse images.

But Thomas Fletcher, 31, was spared an immediate jail sentence after a judge concluded he is capable of rehabilitation.

The defendant, of Moor Road, Stainburn, admitted seven offences.

They included two counts of distributing illegal child abuse images – including seven of Category A, the most serious in law; three counts of downloading such images; and one count of possessing extreme pornography.

The final charge related to his possession of the 27 indecent images found on his mobile phone.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined how the offences came to light when police raided the defendant’s Workington home on March 20, seizing a number of digital devices.

A forensic examination of Fletcher’s Huawei mobile phone revealed 27 illegal images, 19 of them Category A.

One of the children being abused was just seven.

Other images – which included videos – showed a child being forced into sexual acts with an adult male and with an animal, said Mr Rogerson.

The prosecutor said: “A more detailed analysis of the phone showed Mr Fletcher was engaging in online chat on social networking sites with others and during those conversations, with what appear to have been ‘like-minded’ individuals, there was evidence that certain indecent images of children were shared.”

Fletcher swapped indecent child abuse videos with a person after contacting him online. He also spent time online with a Russian chat group interested in abuse images.

The defendant committed his offences last year between February 17 and March 20. Mr Rogerson added: “When questioned, he denied having a sexual attraction to children. He said he did not gain any sexual gratification from the images; and that he was ashamed of himself for what he’d done.”

Quentin Hunt, for Fletcher, said the defendant was a man of previous good character who first wanted to apologise – to the court, the public, and to the abuse victims involved.

The barrister noted the relatively low number of images and the 'short period' of time involved. “References paint a picture of a man who is well-respected and well-liked,” said the barrister, explaining that Fletcher recognises his actions were 'totally amoral'.

Working on the family farm and as a builder, the defendant had sought out a clinical psychologist to address his behaviour.

Mr Hunt said publicity about the conviction had already punished Fletcher, adding: “This case has been relatively widely publicised in the local press and everybody locally knows what he’s been convicted of. So, he’s something of a pariah in his local community.”

Recorder Peter Atherton imposed a two-year jail term, but suspended the sentence for two years after concluding there was a prospect of rehabilitation.

Fletcher must complete 30 days of rehabilitation.

Noting the offences had not only affected the abused children but also the defendant’s family, the judge told Fletcher: “There’s been nothing in this case to suggest your wife was involved or concerned in any way with your offending... I can only express the hope that her hard-earned and successful career will not be impacted in any way by your offending.”