A SEX offender shared images of the “cruellest and most savage form of child abuse” with fellow paedophiles after his “addiction spiralled out of control”.

Joshua Eynon told detectives his obsession with watching adult pornography escalated and that he began searching for vile material involving children being sexually attacked and exploited.

Nigel Fryer, prosecuting, said Gwent Police raided the defendant’s home in Caerphilly county last November.

They found more than 60 category A, B and C images on a mobile phone and evidence he has been distributing filth to other paedophiles.

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Mr Fryer told Cardiff Crown Court: “The defendant told the police he had an adult pornography addiction to begin with.

“He said he was suffering from depression and his addiction spiralled out of control and that he started to view indecent images of children.

“The defendant was fully aware that what he was doing was wrong and he said he had feelings of disgust.

“He forwarded the images by using a share button to other users and said he wasn’t sexually aroused by them.”

Construction worker Eynon, 29, of Hengoed Avenue, Cefn Hengoed, near Ystrad Mynach, pleaded guilty to the distribution of indecent photographs of children.

He also admitted possession of indecent photographs of children and possession of an extreme animal pornographic image involving a dog.

Mr Fryer said the defendant had a previous sexual offence conviction for flashing.

He also had convictions for battery, affray and criminal damage.

Ieuan Bennett, mitigating, said: “The defendant is interested in combatting his problems and moving on with his life.”

The court was told the defendant had recently tried to take his own life.

Judge Richard Williams said Eynon had watched and distributed images of the “the cruellest and most savage form of child abuse”.

He told him: “You said you had shared them with people who you described as like-minded.”

The judge said he was prepared to spare him immediate custody because “there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

The defendant was jailed for 20 months, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to complete 100 hours of a sex offender programme.

Eynon must also register as a sex offender and he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.