Fareham teenager shared abuse images after being told his brother was not serving in the military - but was in jail for sex crimes

But Nelson, 19, instead went along a dark path following his older sibling into the dock, after being told the truth that his brother was not serving abroad but was actually behind bars for child abuse.

Young Nelson, of West Street, Fareham, was enrolled in a military services diploma when his family revealed the dark secret.

But Portsmouth Crown Court heard how, gripped with fascination, he started joining social media chat groups talking about child abuse '“ before sharing images online.

The court heard how Nelson told probation officers he was 'mentally aroused, getting goosebumps'.

Daniel Reilly, defending, said after finding out about his brother Nelson had taken the 'decision to try and understand what it was could have led his brother down that particular path'.

He added: 'That is the route into this offending.'

For two months in 2017 Nelson downloaded and shared sick images of children, including of one child aged two to three and visibly in pain, on 39 group chats on social network Kik.

More than 110 images were found on his tablet and phone, including 48 category A images showing children being raped.

Deciding whether or not to spare him jail, judge Robert Hill said: 'You might spend your time on the wing of the prison with like-minded people, people like your brother.'

He added: 'I know that in your background you have an older brother who is serving a lengthy sentence for sex offending with children .

'With that knowledge you set about looking at it on the internet and within a matter of months you had downloaded 48 category A images together with category B and C.'

The judge handed Nelson a two-year sentence suspended for two years with a sex offender treatment requirement, 20 rehabilitation days and 180 hours of unpaid work.

He added: 'The evil of distribution is it's potentially encouraging other people to do the reality in what they see in the images, what his own brother did for real.

'He's chosen to see the images, that's why his brother is serving a long term of imprisonment. He must have known how serious this is.'

Nelson admitted three charges of making indecent images, three of distributing and a charge of having extreme pornography.

He must sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order restricts his internet use for 10 years.

Mitigating, Mr Reilly said Nelson, who suffers from anxiety and depression, had been bullied so much that by the age of 12 he was self harming.

He said Nelson '˜looked up to and to some extent idolised' his much older brother, who was not named, but his family had not told him the truth of what happened '˜in order to protect him'. Mr Reilly added: '˜It had, however, a devastating impact on him.'