A PAEDOPHILE abused his position of trust as a valued family friend to prey on two six-year-old girls.

Alan Potbury, aged 38, sexually molested one of the girls over several months during 2010 under the guise that he was babysitting her and her two siblings.

He also abused a different girl on several occasions during 2007 after he befriended her family.

Potbury took photographs and filmed the abuse which he then stored at his Pelican Close home in Weston.

When his property was searched, police found these along with thousands of pictures and more than 100 films which had been downloaded from the internet.

Potbury pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court last month to seven counts of assault by penetration of a child aged under 13, five counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 13, 12 counts of taking indecent photographs or movies of a child, five counts of downloading indecent images of children, four counts of downloading indecent movies of children and one count of downloading 189,386 indecent images of children and 105 indecent movies of children.

He appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Wed) for sentencing but Judge Neil Ford QC said he would consider the evidence overnight.

Potbury will be sentenced tomorrow (Thur).