Mark Austin, 18, had given the friend the hard disc so he could download music. When the friend found the child abuse images he called the police and Austin was arrested, St Albans crown court heard on Friday.

Prosecutor Sally Mealing-McLeod said officers went to Austin's home with a search warrant and seized his computer. The images had been downloaded between December 2006 and July last year.

Austin was interviewed and made full admissions. He told the officers he had no idea why he had done it.

The prosecutor said that there were 33 images - three were at Level 5, the most serious level, 14 at Level 4, 11 at Level 3, three at Level 2 and two at Level 1.

Austin of Crawley Drive, Grovehill, Hemel appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to six charges of making indecent photographs of children and one of possessing indecent photographs of children. He had no previous convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands.

Defence barrister Jane Bickerstaff said that Austin was only 17 when he had committed the offences. At that time he had been spending a lot of time isolated and alone on his computer. She said: "He had been bullied at school. At the beginning of 2006, when he was 16, he was beaten unconscious in the street by a gang, including bullies from the school." She said he was now working and had a girlfriend.

Judge Stephen Warner said: "These images involve the abuse and exploitation of young children. By downloading this material you provide a market for its production."

He passed a two-year community order which means Austin will be supervised by the probation service and will have to take part in group work programmes. He must sign the sex offenders' register for five years and pay prosecution costs of £150.

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