A MAN who took indecent images of children has been warned he faces a prison sentence.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Mark Stephen Steel, 58, took 15 indecent images of the child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, between January 2012 and March 2016.

The court heard that when police seized electronic devices belong to Steel they found an extreme pornographic images featuring a person performing a sexual act with a dog.

Officers also found that Steel, of Edleston Street, Accrington, had made 336 Category A indecent photographs of a child, feature the most serious examples of child sexual abuse, 165 Category B indecent photographs, and 1,717 Category C indecent photographs.

Experts found that on February 12, 2016, Steel had distributed two Category A images of a child, one Category B imaged and 12 Category C images.

On February 17, 2016, Steel had distributed three Category A images of a child, one Category B imaged and nine Category C images.

Steel was also found to be in possession of a prohibited image of a child.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one of taking indecent photographs of a child, one of possessing a prohibited image of a child, one of possessing extreme pornographic images and six of distributing indecent photographs of children.

Defending, Kathryn Johnson asked Judge Jonathan Gibson to adjourn the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report.

Judge Gibson said: "You have pleaded guilty to serious offences. That is self evident from the very nature of the charges. I will sentence you at Preston Crown Court on November 10. I will grant you bail in the interim.

"Given the nature of the offences and the sentencing guidelines an immediate custodial sentence is highly likely.

"Both of the reports can help you. With the length of sentence if nothing else."

Steel was made subject of an interim notification requirement and told not to have any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16.