An 81-year-old Weston man appeared in court faced with 17 charges of making or possessing indecent images of children.
Michael Hicks, of Malvern Road, appeared in front of magistrates at North Somerset Courthouse on Tuesday.
It is alleged his computer contained 1,279 images of child abuse, ranging from category one to the most serious category five.
He is yet to enter a plea and has been released on unconditional bail, to next appear in court on September 2.
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