A paedophile who had more than 100,000 indecent images of children on his computer was spared jail.
Matthew Jones, 32, had thousands of sick, illegal images, including more than 16,000 classed as being of the most serious category.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Jones is a 'very vulnerable adult' with 'social communication difficulties'.
A judge said if it were not for these 'very real difficulties', Jones would likely have been jailed.
Prosecutors told how police went to search Jones' home in Oldham in October last year, where they seized his computer.
Jones told officers that he 'downloads files in bulk without checking'.
His mother told them that he suffers from autism.
Police did not arrest Jones until after his computer had been examined, prosecutor Andrew Mackintosh said.
On the device they found 16,202 category A indecent images, with category A being the most serious.
There were also 14,994 category B images, 84,041 category C images, 389 extreme pornographic images and 2,122 prohibited images.
Some of the material featured children as young as one.
Jones, who has no previous convictions, was arrested in January. In interview admitted the computer was his.
Defending, Rachel Shenton said Jones is a 'very vulnerable adult' who finds everyday tasks difficult.
She said his social difficulties mean he can't go into a shop and interact with a shopkeeper, he would instead have to use a self service checkout.
Ms Shenton said Jones wasn't looking at all of the images that were downloaded, and that since he was detected he has done 'everything possible' to correct his behaviour.
She said he had a 'dawning realisation' about the content of what he had downloaded.
The lawyer said Jones has got a girlfriend and that his life has now 'changed dramatically'.
Sentencing, Judge Angela Nield said: "These children are victims in the same way as any child who is a victim of any sexual offence that appears before this court.
"The main difference is of course that those images, which are very regrettably so readily accessible on the internet, are images of children unknown often to the viewer."
The judge said that makes it 'easier to forget these are all somebody's children'.
She said had it not been for Jones' problems, she would have found it 'very difficult' to avoid sending him to jail.
But Jones, who broke down in the dock as sentence was passed, was handed a 12 month jail term, suspended for two years.
He must complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and a sex offenders program.
Jones, of Bramble Avenue, Oldham, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images and possessing extreme pornography.
