A WESTON man has been jailed for possessing more than 11,000 indecent images of children, as well as images of bestiality.

David Page, of Woodpecker Drive, pleaded guilty to 16 charges of making indecent photographs of a child, one of possessing an indecent photograph of a child and two charges of possessing an extreme pornographic image of active intercourse with an animal.

Bristol Crown Court heard on Tuesday the 46-year-old’s computer had been seized when a warrant was obtained in May last year and a number of images and video files were found. The images and movies varied in ratings for the most serious child sex images – with animal abuse being the highest category.

A total of 11,816 images were found on his computer – varying from level one to five, and 122 movie files, varying from level one to four.

Nadeem Aullybocus, mitigating, said Page suffered ‘significant stress’ when he lost his job.

He said: “He started viewing normal pornography and does not understand how he progressed on to these images. It became a culture of clicking and saving, not viewing it for very long.

“He feels ashamed to meet his family members and he has an elderly mother who relies on him day to day.

“He has also had to deal with personal difficulties; he suffers from some hearing loss and type two diabetes. He also uses a device which helps him breathe at night. He deeply regrets his actions.”

Page was sentenced to 11 months in prison and ordered to sign on to the sexual offenders register for 10 years. He was also given a sexual offences prevention order for 10 years.