A FORMER fireman, who possessed extreme child pornography, was spared jail by magistrates who heard how he downloaded illegal images after attending an emergency call out at which he discovered a close friend dead in a car crash.

Will Rose, defending, said Jake Elsmore-Mann, 25, of Abbey Street, Cinderford suffered from depression after struggling with his sexuality followed by post-traumatic stress disorder after finding his friend dead in a car accident.

May Li, prosecuting, explained: “Police received information that an IP addressed in Cinderford was being used to download child pornography and the police obtained a warrant to search the address on November 1 at Abbey Street, Cinderford.”

Elsmore-Mann admitted that between December 3, 2014 and November 1, 2016 he made 57 indecent images of children – videos and stills – of Category A, the worst kind. He made 70 indecent images of Category B and 249 of Category C.

Mr Rose told Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court how Elsmore-Mann had withdrawn from society and turned to social media and added: “Elsmore-Mann had no desire to commit these offences he just wanted to make meaningful legal relationships. Some of the contacts he made seemed all too willing to share illegal material.”

Mr Rose added: “He is deemed at low risk. Help is what this man needs, not prison.”

Magistrates sentenced Elsmore-Mann to jail for 12 months suspended for two years and ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years, undertake 40 sessions with the probation service and 20 days on a rehabilitation course as well as paying £85 in costs with a £140 victim surcharge.?

At the end of the hearing magistrates addressed the public gallery and the chairman stated that it was rare to see parents and family members in court in cases like this and praised them for supporting their son over his mental health issues.