A WEST Somerset man who had nearly 300 indecent images of children on devices seized by police has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Paul Geldard, age 61, of Alcombe, Minehead, was sentenced in Taunton Crown Court on Friday (April 24).

Judge Anna Richardson heard there were 41 category A images, the most serious kind of child pornography, 48 category B, and 199 category C, all obtained between December 7, 2019, and March 8, 2024.

Geldard, who earlier pleaded guilty to three charges, was sentenced to a total of eight months in prison suspended for two years.

Judge Richardson also ordered Geldard to register with police for the next 10 years and made a five-year sexual harm prevention order banning him from any unsupervised contact with under-16s.