A former fireman who possessed extreme pornography showing torture of women and sex involving animals has been ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

Craig Freshwater of Sunnyside Road, Epping, was also made subject of a 12 month community order today (September 14) after earlier admitting three offences of possessing extreme pornography on his iPhone.

Freshwater, 26, was told by Judge Anthony Goldstaub at Chelmsford Crown Court how “someone, somewhere, in the world, would have been hurt” by the “evil” torture depicted.

He said that both types of offences were “morally corrupting.”

He added: “You were sent the images by somebody who thought they were amusing or would satisfy curiosity, there was no commercial involvement.”

Freshwater pleaded guilty to possessing two moving images and two further charges of having 19 and 14 still images, all on April 10 last year.

A fourth charge of possessing 96 images was dropped after he pleaded not guilty.

At a previous hearing the offences were said to have “portrayed in an explicit and realistic way an act which was grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character.”