A shamed student sent friends bestiality videos and a pornographic picture of a person being beheaded via WhatsApp .
Ben Pinkney, who also sent a video showing a ritual circumcision to mates, has described his actions "stupid" and apologised for his conduct.
But the 23-year-old has now been suspended by his university and may lose a postgraduate accounting job.
A court heard last week the amateur rugby player behaved in an "utterly foolish" manner and his actions were "inappropriate".
The politics student was ordered to complete a 12-month community order after admitting two counts of possessing extreme pornography. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £350 costs.
Sentencing Pinkney at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Peter Henry said: "This was a particularly unpleasant and stupid thing to do and you have learned a lesson from that."
The court heard Pinkney shared five extreme pornographic images, said to depict bestiality, and one image said to show genital mutilation in two separate WhatsApp groups.
But speaking outside court, the University of Southampton final-year student said: "I accept what I did was wrong.
"I now realise the possible effects on the participants in these clips. For that I am truly sorry.
"I would like to warn other young people of the stupidity of receiving and forwarding images within a Whatsapp group of friends that they may find amusing or shocking as this can result in a criminal record.
"Despite the images being unsolicited it is a crime to not actively delete them as soon as possible and I would urge others to make it clear to their friends that they would not welcome such images and to get rid of any such images if they ever obtain them."
"I really hope people will learn from my experiences and not the hard way."
Pinkney, of Totton, Hampshire, had his phone seized in relation to an unrelated investigation earlier this year.
And the images came to light as a result.
Siobhan Lindsey, prosecuting, said one of Pinkney's former mates asked the WhatsApp group if pals would like to see a "sick" image.
Pinkney and another responded with a "yes", before the image was sent.
Mr Missouri, defending, said that Pinkney’s family, said to have a high-standing in the community, had been "devastated" by his actions.
He added the family had been subject to vigilante threats.
