Justice Michael Elkaim also hoped the community would not view as too lenient his decision to hand the man, 41, a suspended sentence and said he did so "with a degree of reluctance".

The offender, whose name has been suppressed, pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court in July to drug charges and possessing child exploitation material - an offence Justice Elkaim described as "serious".

"Each time a photograph is taken of a child for the purposes of producing child pornography, that child is exploited both at the time and indefinitely into the future," he said.

"That child's image is spread by deviant people through the internet. The psychological effects on the child are potentially immense."

Justice Elkaim noted a psychologist who prepared a report for the man's sentencing said he did not have an interest in child pornography, or a sexual interest in children, and had said:

"… His interest has become more in younger models, usually sourced under the link 'teenage girls' on any one of the free pornographic sites, because these sites use mature women who look quite young."

But the judge rejected that explanation as an excuse for the man possessing the offending material.

"As I have observed above, each child photographed is a victim. The fact that the offender has no "interest" in them does not lessen the exploitation of these victims."

Prosecutors called for a sentence of imprisonment but stopped short of saying whether it should be served in full-time custody - an approach Justice Elkaim found "surprising".

"Considerations of general and specific deterrence and the need for the condemnation of any action involving the exploitation of children generally dictates otherwise."

However, he said submissions from defence lawyers and the prosecution convinced him there were "enough subjective factors present in this matter to take an approach that does not necessarily involve full-time custody".

"I should add that I do so with a degree of reluctance.

"Were it not for the evidence suggesting that the offender has made significant steps in his rehabilitation, has expressed genuine remorse and the fact that there is little prospect of reoffending, I would most certainly have not followed the course that I intend to follow."

Justice Elkaim said he sincerely hoped the community did not regard his approach as lenient, but rather as one which "tries to address the criminality of the offences but also seeks to avoid the continued destruction of this man's life".

"If the offender were to spend any significant period in prison, I suspect his return to drugs would be swift and the chance of him living a constructive life would be slim."

He convicted the man and sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence of about 18 months. He was ordered to serve a two-year good behaviour order.