A man who downloaded sick sex abuse images shared in a WhatsApp group claimed not to realise that the material was illegal.

East Timorese man Nuno Goncalves told police that the other members of the WhatsApp group ‘came from the same part of the world’ as he did.

He claimed not to have appreciated that the material, which included a film of a woman performing oral sex acts on two very young boys and another video of a person being molested by a horse, was illicit.

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Mitigating, Julian Lynch told Oxford Crown Court that his client’s contention that he did not get any sexual gratification from the child sex abuse material was supported by the relatively low number of such images and films. The police found eight images in category A and two in category B.

The 30-year-old had been ‘naïve’, Mr Lynch added.

The barrister said Goncalves’ girlfriend was currently pregnant and there were concerns about how the young family would cope if the defendant was sent to prison.

Sentencing, Judge Maria Lamb said: “In my view the possession of these images indicates on your part a deviant sexual interest in children.

“I do not accept what you say to the effect that you did not have a sexual interest [in children].

“I accept there was a small number of images here. But I do think that anybody who received such images or downloaded them and did not have an interest in what they depict would not have gone on to repeat such offending.”

She added: “If that is the nature of the material which you find on the WhatsApp group of which you are a member it’s about time you found yourself a WhatsApp group whose contributors have different interests.”

Goncalves was told that the offences to which he had pleaded guilty carried a starting point of 12 months’ imprisonment.

“Fortunately for you I accept there is mitigation here,” the judge added. She acknowledged he had cooperated with the police, made admissions when he was interviewed by detectives and had not committed offences before or since.

She said: “Your actions are going to impact upon your girlfriend and your child in due course; both of whom are entirely innocent. That is a consequence for which you have only yourself to blame.”

Goncalves, of St Thomas Street, Oxford, admitted possession of indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

He was given a two year community order with 120 hours of unpaid work and up to 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He must abide by a sexual harm prevention order for five years, during which time he will also be a registered sex offender.