A SECURITY guard began downloading child abuse images after accidentally viewing one online.

Adam Lee said he was attempting to access adult pornography through an online chat-room when he opened an indecent image involving a young teenage girl.

The 33-year-old said he "couldn't get the image out of his head" and wanted to view it again.

He began searching the internet for the image and downloaded almost a dozen other child abuse pictures.

On Thursday, Lee appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to three counts of downloading indecent images of children.

The court was told how Lee was using internet chat-room Omegal when he first encountered an indecent image.

Prosecutor David Finney said: "He (Lee) initially used the chat-room to find adult pornography, when he saw an image of a 13-year-old girl.

"He said he was initially disturbed by it, but could not get it out of his head.

"He asked to see it again."

Mr Finney said Lee was sent Dropbox links with child abuse images, which were downloaded between June 2016 and October 2017.

Police later visited Lee at his home and he initially denied he had downloaded the pictures, but later confessed to officers.

In total, Lee, of Macnaghten Road, Southampton, was caught with 11 images, including two category A images – the most serious kind.

Lee, who was unrepresented at court, said he had been through "a lot" over the last 18 months.

He added: "I've realised a lot about things that made me happy and things I wasn't happy about.

"I didn't talk about things and address them in the right way."

Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report into Lee before his sentencing, which is now due to take place on June 12.

Lee was warned he faced the potential of an immediate prison sentence and that his sentencing could be escalated to Southampton Crown Court, if sentencing magistrates saw fit.