AN ex-soldier from East Lancashire said to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who was caught with child pornography, has been jailed for eight months.

Ashley Brynes, 30, was still deeply affected by tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and had not even opened up to close family, Burnley Crown Court was told.

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Police were conducting an investigation into unrelated matters when they found indecent images on Brynes’ mobile phone, the court was told.

Prosecutor Mark Stephenson said nine images were found in the cache of his Samsung phone after a police raid in October 2014.

Three of the indecent pictures discovered were at the most serious grading. His internet search terms included requests for ‘tiny girls having sex’.

Brynes, of Simpson Street, Hapton, pleaded guilty to nine offences of making indecent images, on a date in September 2014. One further charge, which he denied, was withdrawn by the prosecution.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order, limiting his access to the internet, was also imposed by Recorder Fiona Ashworth while passing sentence.

Amanda Johnson, defending, said Brynes was discharged by the Army after his tour of Afghanistan but it took two years for him to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“He was really only properly and formally assessed by the psychiatric services after an attempt on his own life two years ago,” she told the court.

He was still in work, Ms Johnson said, and had benefited from a sympathetic employer who allowed him time off where necessary, to deal with his difficulties.

Brynes accepted that the images were on his phone and he must have downloaded them but he had no clear recollection of obtaining the material, she added.