Mitigating, Jeff Sagen said that James deserved credit for handing himself into the police, making his admissions in his interview and for his guilty plea in court.
Mr Sagen added: "James is a highly thought of member of the Dawlish workforce and was one of only seven of the initial 300 who were brought in who were automatically retained for the second phase of the work. He is seen by his bosses as an important part of the workforce and sees this not just as a job but a career for him."