A Lidl warehouse worker told police he was not sexually aroused by children despite being found with a cache of indecent images.
Shane Johnson was only 21 years old when his explicit texts with teens on messaging app Kik and a collection of child sex abuse images were discovered on his mobile phones.
His offending came to light in August 2023 when the National Crime Agency flagged Johnson's Instagram account to Hampshire police.
Indecent images of children were found on Johnson's Instagram account, prosecutor Christopher Wing told Southampton Crown Court.
Shane Johnson(Image: Newsquest)
The court heard Johnson, now 23, was arrested at his home address and two devices were seized.
"Eighty-nine category C images were found on his iPhone, along with four chats on Kik", Mr Wing said.
"In one of the messages, he was discussing incestuous scenarios, while in another, he and a teenage girl spoke about extreme pornographic images.
"He then received such images from the girl who requested payment for the content, which the defendant promised."
He added: "While the chats are not illegal, they show a sexual interest in children."
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Johnson, of Pennine Road, also spent time searching for illicit content online, with a search of his Black Samsung phone revealed three prohibited images of a child.
Police officers were told by the defendant he had not used the phone in years, and it had been "sat in his room gathering dust".
Mr Wing said: "When interviewed, Johnson said he was sent the indecent images and only used them on Google to see if they were real.
"He said he felt threatened by people in the Google chatroom and was made to feel he had to search for these images, and he was not sexually aroused by children."
Johnson had 118 indecent images on both of his mobile phones, ranging from category A - the most serious - to category C, along with extreme and prohibited images.
Mitigating, Richard Martin said Johnson wishes to engage with probation for treatment to understand why he did this.
He added: "Mr Johnson found himself with these images, but he doesn't understand what it is he is attracted to.
"There is work to be done by him to protect the wider community from any further offending."
After Johnson pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited image, possessing an extreme pornographic image and three charges of making indecent images, Recorder Shamim Qureshi handed him a six month sentence suspended for two years.
He must complete up to 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay £150 prosecution costs and a £154 surcharge.
Johnson is subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.