A MAN who confessed to downloading indecent images of children as part of a failed suicide bid has been sentenced to a community order.

Sean Robinson admitted possessing 12 photographs depicting the abuse of children in a note left to his family.

However, despite attempting to take his own life, he survived.

Judge Peter Johnson heard at Bournemouth Crown Court that the 45-year-old was snared by police after using the name ‘wriggly99’ in online chat rooms.

Frank Abbott, prosecuting, said: “This matter came to court as the result of a completely different area of investigation involving looking at the activity of various internet chat sites.”

He said Robinson’s IP address was traced to a mobile phone with access to 3G. Some of the activity was also linked to a wifi connection at a London hotel.

A search warrant was carried out by officers at the defendant’s home address in August 2012 and a number of devices were seized.

“He admitted to viewing illegal images in a suicide note to his wife,” Mr Abbott said, adding that officers had also discovered a number of conversations online alluding to a young teenager known to the defendant.

“He had been talking about this person, although nothing had happened,” he said.

In mitigation, Nick Robinson said his client has been “so ashamed that he tried to take his own life”.

Sentencing Robinson to a three-year supervised community order, as well as a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and a requirement to take the 70-hour internet sex offenders treatment programme, Judge Johnson said: “You pleaded guilty before magistrates at the first available opportunity to the 12 matters against you. Unusually, that represents the totality of your offending.

“This court very commonly deals with hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands [of images]. You had a dozen or so.”