A MAN from Swindon has been given a 18 week jail sentence, suspended for a year, because of the seriousness of the image of child abuse he viewed.

Richard Soffe, 53, of Bedwin Close pleaded guilty to making one image of a child covered by category A - the highest category of such images.

He also pleaded guilty to charged of making six images of a child in category B and 25 in category C, the lowest garde of indecent images of children

He was also sentenced to two further terms of 18 weeks for those offences, though if he has to serve them, they will run concurrently with the first. Those sentences were also suspended.

Soffe has been ordered by the court to comply with a rehabilitation order and to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work within the next year.

Soffe was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which runs for five years from his conviction at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on August 1.

He is not allowed to possess any computer, tablet or phone capable of using the internet without telling the local police before he gets one.

He must not delete any internet history, or use ‘private’ browsing facilities or get any software which deletes browsing history or overwrites it and he must show the device to any police officer who requests to see it.

His computer and phone were surrendered and destroyed.