Christopher Hopkins was found to have paid more than £200 to access some images described by the judge as depraved and disgusting.
His criminal actions had covered a period of around eight months, Preston Crown Court heard.

Hopkins, 28, of Abbeywood, Skelmersdale, pleaded guilty to a total of 12 charges of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child and he was sent to jail for three months.

Duncan Birrell, prosecuting, said a credit card belonging to the defendant had been used online to subscribe to a website that provided child porn images.

A search warrant was then executed at Hopkins's address in September of last year.
His computer was seized and indecent images went on to be recovered.

Two of the images were classed at level one – the lowest level of seriousness. Another five images were at level two, while five more were at level four.

Hopkins admitted to police that in addition to viewing adult porn, he had looked at inappropriate sites.
He would pay a monthly £70 subscription to access some of the material.

In addition, he had also got other material from free websites and what were referred to in court as peer to peer sites – where like-minded people provided images.
Hopkins had no previous convictions.

Michael Hagerty, defending, said the case involved a relatively small number of images.
According to the probation service, the defendant cut something of a lonely figure.

"Much of his time has been spent viewing the Internet, not of course wholly for unlawful purposes," said Mr Hagerty.
"He has been brutally honest in his instructions to myself and others.

It is rare, in my submission, in a case of this nature for someone to be as frank in their instructions as him."
Mr Hagerty asked the court to consider making a suspended sentence order.

He added: "He is a vulnerable individual. There is obviously a problem which could best be addressed by the immediate intervention of the probation service."

But in passing sentence, Judge Pamela Badley said sentencing guidelines indicated that a prison term should follow. She said the images in the case were "truly depraved and disgusting".