A HAMPSHIRE man has avoided jail after buying sexual abuse footage of blackmailed girls.

Ashley Corbin used £295 in Amazon vouchers and £40 via PayPal to buy footage of girls who had been blackmailed.

The 35-year-old who has recently changed his name by deed poll to Kevin Smith, has been sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court to 16 months in jail suspended for two years.

He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children.

Officers raided his home in West Downs Close, Fareham in June 2019.

They seized his computers and found 130 images and videos, as well as 4,534 images and videos on cloud accounts.

In total Corbin had 329 Category A images - the most serious - 604 Category B and 4,990 Category C.

Many of the children had been forced to state their names and age on camera, according to the National Crime Agency.

Andy Peach, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “This was one of a series of investigations into paedophiles who bought Abul Elahi’s horrific content and encouraged him to keep offending.

“Anyone who buys or accesses material like this is fundamentally responsible for more and more children being sexually abused and the lives that are wrecked because of it.

“For the NCA there is no greater priority than protecting children. We will never stop hunting men like Corbin and Elahi.”

Anybody who believes they may have been a victim of Elahi, or have information about his offending, can contact the NCA at Op.Makedom@nca.gov.uk

Child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation runs the Stop It Now! helpline which offers confidential advice to anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s behaviour towards children.