A 'high powered' New Malden IT consultant who watched a Filipino child sex show and downloaded photos of girls as young as eight being raped has avoided jail.

Priyangshu Kakati, 38, paid to watch webcam sex shows involving a girl called Lolita and downloaded 72 indecent images of children in 2012.

He was caught when officers from the child exploitation unit, investigating the abuse of underage girls in the Philippines, traced his computer IP address.

They arrested Kakati in 2014 and confiscated two laptops where the images were discovered.

Defence barrister Michael Reilly argued that Kakati was in a 'completely different place' emotionally when he downloaded the photos after the breakup of a long term relationship.

He said: "He was coming out of a relationship that had gone badly wrong. He developed a habit of going on chat rooms.

"It was a sex show that involved someone called Lolita. He paid for that sex show and accepts he did that willingly.

"But, by giving them his credit card details, they sent him things as a mechanism to get him to part with further money."

Mr Reilly added that since his arrest Kakati's family had arranged him a marriage and he was working as a 'high powered IT consultant' who 'takes home £4,000 a month'.

Mr Reilly also said if Kakat were to go to prison the IT team he manages in Finland would be at risk of losing their jobs.

During sentencing Judge Jones said he would not take into account Kakati's team of workers and asked why he had not deleted the indecent images when he received them?

Judge Jones also referred to a police report that stated Kakati 'minimised his behaviour'.

But he also said Kakati should receive full credit for pleading guilty in April this year to the five counts of making indecent images of children.

He said: "The images were downloaded some while ago and more recent images were not found on your computer.

You're in work and I'm told there would be repercussions on others [were you to go to prison]. I have put that out of my mind when sentencing you."

Kakati, of Windrush, New Malden received an eight months prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He was ordered to pay £1,200 in court costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

He will also be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.