DISGUSTED judge said a paedophile possessed the worst indecent image he had heard of in 30 years of sitting in court.

A judge expressed disgust as he sentenced a paedophile for possessing the worst indecent image he had encountered in his 30 years on the bench.

Judge Nicholas Rowland described the child abuse image as "abhorrent and horrifying" during Kelvin Brookes' sentencing at Southampton Crown Court. The 40-year-old family man was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

Through tears, Brookes was informed that the actions of abusers like him resulted in the torture of children worldwide for the gratification of paedophiles.

The court heard that Brookes had been caught distributing 84 category A images to six online users. Prosecutor Edward Phillips stated that Brookes, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was also found in possession of over 150 category A, B, and C moving images.

Mr Phillips described one particular image as "horrifying" and revealed that Brookes had received 200 requests for it.

In mitigation, Mark Ashley argued that while Brookes had downloaded the images, he was unaware he had shared them. "He has lost his family, his job, and his home," Mr Ashley said. "He was abused when he was younger and he was in a dark place when he viewed this material."

When sentencing Brookes, Judge Rowland stated: "The image was abhorrent. It means that as we sit here children around the world are being abused for the gratification of people like you."

"In all my 30 years of sitting in court, I have never heard of such a horrifying image. It amounts to the torture of a young child."

"It's bad enough having to read about the image let alone think about the abuse this child suffered."

"It's said on your behalf you were in a dark place but no doubt this child was in an even darker one. A custodial sentence is exactly what a civilised society demands in this case."