A police officer has pleaded guilty to possessing and making nearly 400 images of child pornography.

PC David Bright, 41, was charged with 17 counts of making indecent images of children and 26 specimen charges of possessing indecent material.

The address of the Northumbria Police officer, who is based in Gateshead, was withheld by magistrates following a request by his solicitor, after his mother's home was attacked with an air rifle following a previous court appearance.

At Teesside Magistrates' Court yesterday, the married father-of-two admitted possessing 14 photographs graded at level five on a scale of the seriousness of pornographic images.

There were a further 200 at the lowest level and the remainder were graded between level two and four.

Crown prosecutor Chris Metherell told the hearing that the 383 images had been recovered on two computers found at Bright's home address, following a police raid last December.

Mr Metherell said: "There are 17 charges of making indecent images. These photographs were downloaded from the Internet, and when an individual puts that file on to his computer, technically he is making it.

"There is no suggestion he was manufacturing photographs."

In mitigation, Bright's solicitor, Gerard Tompkinson, said that, putting the number of images into context, the case was not of the most serious nature.

Mr Tompkinson said: "Social services are comfortable with this defendant living at home.

"They see no danger whatsoever to his children. This family is sticking together as a unit. Nothing will break them up and they are still a strong and healthy family.

"The day after his last appearance, people who clearly knew of the family took the opportunity to attack his mother's house."

Chairman of the Bench George Davies called for a pre-sentence report to be prepared due to the serious nature of the images.

Bright was released on unconditional bail to return to the court on April 21.

He was suspended in January after an inquiry following a series of police raids at addresses in the Northumbria force's area.

A police spokesman said: "PC Bright will now be subject to police disciplinary proceedings. He will remain suspended pending the outcome."