A MAN who downloaded a 'paedophile manual' containing detailed instructions on how to sexually abuse children, including babies, has been jailed.

Jamie Downing, 27, of Oak Vale, Oakfield, Ryde, admitted downloading the manual as well as thousands of indecent images of children and extreme pornography involving sex with animals and was sentenced at Isle of Wight Crown Court this morning (Tuesday).

Sentencing, Judge Roger Hetherington said: "The worst offence of these, which takes this case to levels of depravity that this court seldom sees, is that of the manual, which gives detailed advice on the abuse of very young children, including babies.

"It is hard to express in words how the public would feel about that kind of material being possessed by someone like you."

After police raided Downing's address and seized computer equipment, examiners found 583 category A images, 1,087 category B and 1,862 category C. They also found 65 extreme pornography images and 1,789 prohibited images of children, which are non-photographic cartoons or computer animated images.

The paedophile manual was also found, which was a slideshow presentation with instructions on how to abuse children and how to avoid being caught.

Prosecuting, Tom Horder said the officers who examined the manual described the material as "graphic and particularly shocking".

Mr Horder said that Downing was highly IT literate and had customised his computer and organised the illegal files across six different hard drives.

Downing admitted to police viewing similar material since he was the age of 16 and only now realised that what he was doing was wrong and had not equated the people on his screen as real children.

For Downing, Helen Easterbrook said that the moment police knocked on her client's door, he pointed to where the material could be found and did not try to shy away from what he had done.

"In a strange way, he is glad this has come to light. He was putting his head in the sand and only saw them as people on his screen," Ms Easterbrook said.

"He is disgusted with himself. He has started to understand the impact on the wider community and where these images have come from."

Ms Easterbrook asked the judge not to imprison Downing so that he could be treated through rehabilitation activities to minimise the risk of him reoffending.

Judge Hetherington said: "I would be failing in my public duty if this case was not met with an immediate custodial sentence."

Downing was jailed for a total of 12 months.