A Seaside man admitted Wednesday to downloading numerous images of child pornography and was sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail.

Daniel Conan McKenna, 60, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was arrested in December and charged with 20 counts after investigators allegedly found that he had downloaded 270 images of child pornography onto his cellphone between 2012 and last year.

The Clatsop County District Attorney’s Office sought a nearly 11-year sentence in the case during Wednesday’s hearing. Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas instead gave him probation, but McKenna will be subject to the prison sentence if he violates terms.

Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown said downloading child porn fosters a market that proliferates child sex abuse. He said perpetrators like McKenna sometimes make physical contact once the addiction worsens.

“I would submit that he has always been sexually attracted to children because you don’t just start doing that at age 50,” Brown said. “He does indicate he’s lost his moral compass. That’s for darn sure.”

McKenna apologized and pointed to sex abuse during his childhood and deaths in the family in the years prior to the crimes. He said he experienced depression and anxiety that caused him to completely withdraw from society as he began downloading the images.

“It was depression, the horrible exhaustion,” McKenna said. “I really lost my sense of identity.”

Kirk Wintermute, McKenna’s court-appointed attorney, asked that Matyas issue the probation sentence with the potential for prison time, citing in part that his client has no prior criminal history.

Before issuing the sentence, Matyas called a recess to review some of the evidence and the 14 letters of support submitted on behalf of McKenna. She said she wanted to see whether McKenna can be honest with probation officers, not commit further crimes and overcome any addiction issues.

“To me, there’s a certain preference for supervision than a prison system where you will get no treatment most likely, no improvement, no redirection, no ability to transition safely. So I’m disinclined to go that route first,” Matyas said. “That’s not to say these convictions don’t deserve a prison sentence because they do, but I’m willing to allow an opportunity for supervision to see whether or not these things are true.”