A MAN who downloaded child and extreme animal porn has lost his marriage and home as a result, a court heard.

At Bolton Crown Court 40-year-old Gareth Jones was ordered to undertake a sex offenders' treatment programme after he pleaded guilty to possessing 12 indecent images of children and four counts of having extreme pornographic images involving adults engaged in sexual activity with animals.

Andrew Evans, prosecuting, told the Judge Timothy Stead that Jones' partner operates a children's nursery, but police have carried out an thorough investigation.

Mr Evans said: "They are satisfied there is no offending taking place there."

He said Jones, of Clive Street, Bolton, was caught in March this year by police who identified his internet protocol address as one which was accessing pictures of children.

After raiding his house, they seized his tablet, phone and laptop, discovering images on two of the devices.

Pornographic images and videos of children, including one of a girl aged between one and three, were discovered as well as extreme animal sex videos.

Experts examining his computer found Jones had also been searching the internet using the terms "incest" and "bestiality."

Nicholas Ross, defending, said Jones, who has no previous convictions, has lost his marriage and home as a result of his crime.

"Clearly his world has collapsed around him and it is his own fault," said Mr Ross, who stressed that Jones had not distributed the images to anyone else and is remorseful about his behaviour.

"There is a considerable degree of understanding about the gravity of what he has done," said Mr Ross.

Judge Timothy Stead told Jones that he had considered imposing a suspended sentence upon him to mark the seriousness of the offences, but that would mean the defendant would not have access to a sex offenders' treatment programme.

Instead he sentenced him to a three-year community order with the treatment programme and ordered him to undertake 20 days of rehabilitation activity.

Jones was also placed on the sex offenders' register for five years and a sexual harm prevention order was made requiring him not to delete his internet history on devices and make them available to police for inspection.

He was also told he must not have unsupervised contact with girls under aged 16 and he is barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.