A suicidal man downloaded vile child sex abuse images because he thought it would make people ‘abhor’ him, a court heard.

But that explanation was dismissed as 'palpable nonsense' by the judge.

Daniel Morris, 41, was said to have downloaded the 21 images while at a ‘low ebb’. The vile collection included pictures of children as young as six months.

Judge Maria Lamb told the Banbury man that she wholly rejected his explanation for having the indecent images.

She blasted: “I have absolutely no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that what you give as the explanation for this is palpable nonsense.”

It was perfectly clear that Morris had gained sexual gratification from the images, she said.

The judge added of Morris’ claim he downloaded the images while considering ending his life so those who found him would ‘abhor’ him: “If this had anything to do with the reason you were telling the probation report author you wouldn’t have deleted those images. You knew perfectly well you shouldn’t have had them.”

Prosecutor Christopher Pembridge told Oxford Crown Court that police went to Morris’ home on May 25, 2019, after receiving a report that an indecent image of a child was uploaded to an account in his name on social media messaging app Kik.

He confirmed to the police officer who arrested him that he had a Kik account and it ‘might have been me’. In later interviews he variously denied downloading indecent images or answered no comment to questions put to him by the police.

A search of his computer showed he had six images in category A, five in category B and 10 in category C. The files had been deleted and there was evidence of software being installed to try and wipe the computer.

Emma Hornby, mitigating, said her client suffered from mental and physical ill-health, including depression. He had downloaded the images when he was at a ‘very low ebb’ and contemplating taking his life.

Morris, of Avenue Road, Banbury, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children when he appeared at the magistrates’ court earlier this year. He had no previous convictions and had remained out of trouble in the two years since his arrest.

He was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment suspended for a year and a half. He complete a sex offender treatment programme as part of up to 35 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions and pay £200 costs.

Morris was made subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offender register for the same period of time.

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