A pervert who downloaded shocking images of sex with animals - including an octopus - has avoided an immediate jail sentence.

Lee Woodman, of Melville Court, Chatham, also admitted accessing child sex abuse images.

The 37-year-old father was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and he will have to attend 80 sessions of a sex offender programme.

He pleaded guilty to possessing extreme pornography and possessing and making indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Trevor Wright told Maidstone Crown Court that it “does not seem appropriate that the public should know the nature of the extreme image activity”.

But Judge Martin Joy replied: “I don’t know about that. This is public legislation. In a sense it is the public that is affected. There is no such thing as private or hidden justice.”

Mr Wright then stated that the images included “acts of intercourse with a live animal”.

He added: “Perhaps it does not benefit the public to know the nature of the animal. It does include dogs.”

But Medway magistrates had previously been told that the creatures also included an octopus and a calf.

Woodman was arrested after police went to his then home in Castle Road, Chatham, on March 26 last year.

He told police he was obsessed with sex and porn and claimed he had been sent the images while chatting on Skype, and he sent some back.

“He said he had no sexual interest in children,” said Mr Wright.

More than 500 still images and movie clips were found on computer equipment.

Danny Moore, defending, said the case was serious as far as the extreme images were concerned.

“The defendant cannot have been any more frank,” he said.

“He became obsessed with porn. He was being sent large tranches of porn and within them were these images.

“He has been signed off with depression from his employment.”

“He became obsessed with porn. He was being sent large tranches of porn and within them were these images" - Danny Moore, defending

Judge Joy said the child abuse images were the most serious as they involved real youngsters and they fuelled the demand for the makers to commit offences against them.

“These are particularly serious offences,” he continued. “It is quite plain you are obsessed with sex. Undoubtedly, you do have a preoccupation with matters sexual and pornographic.

“I take the view it would be right to suspend the sentence on condition that for the next two years you are supervised.”

Woodman’s name will appear on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and a sexual offences prevention order was made for the same period. He will be banned from working with children.