A Hampshire university lecturer attempted suicide after being caught in an international sting operation aimed at combating child abuse.

David Clarke, 46, was tricked into believing he was communicating with another paedophile, but in reality, he was speaking with a special agent who was leading him on about exchanging disturbing images of children.

The case was so disturbing that one investigating officer had to take a break from her work due to the distress it caused.

Clarke, a senior lecturer in psychology at Southampton Solent University, was later arrested at his home, which he shared with his partner and their three young children.

An examination of his laptop and a memory stick revealed approximately 1,800 images depicting children as young as three subjected to horrific acts of bondage, rape, and sadism.

Prosecutor Tom Wright told the city crown court that Clarke, who had been using chatrooms under the aliases of Davyboy, Emma Watson 27, and Kirstyandlouise, refused to provide his password to the police, preventing them from accessing his accounts to determine the full extent of his trafficking.

Clarke, of Median Road, Shirley, admitted to 20 charges of making, possessing, and distributing still and moving images between the summer of 2009 and last November. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges at his preliminary hearing but the sentencing was postponed after he attempted suicide.

Judge Peter Henry stated: "The images involve a high number of different victims, and there was a deliberate and systematic search of the internet for images for your sexual gratification. You deny you find children sexually attractive, but in my view, sexual gratification is at the forefront of your offending."

The judge acknowledged Clarke's mental health issues, depression, and alcoholism but emphasized that he could not have misunderstood the harm he was causing children.

Stephen Tricker, defending, argued that Clarke had stumbled upon the material after searching the internet for other interests and subsequently accessing adult websites.

"He has expressed remorse and knows the shame he has brought upon himself and his family. He is motivated to tackle the treatment programme," Mr. Tricker added.

"His self-destruction is complete."

In addition to the prison sentence, Clarke was placed on the sex offenders register and prohibited from working with children.

Under the terms of a sexual offences prevention order, he has restricted internet use and cannot be left alone with children except with the knowledge of the police or the child's parents.

Following the case, a spokesperson for Southampton Solent University said: "The individual concerned has not been present or teaching at the university for many months now. The university was first notified of this issue last week and has already put in place steps to address this as a matter of urgency."