THIS is the face of a 40-year-old Dursley man who committed an array of child sex offences including trying to arrange to molest a young girl.

Martin Smith, of Olive Grove in Dursley, pleaded guilty to the crimes when he appeared at Gloucester Crown Court last Thursday.

He admitted a total of six charges and was bailed to await sentencing on September 21.

The court heard that Smith admitted making 732 indecent images of children between August 2010 and April 2017; another charge of making a further 222 images between the same dates; distributing 21 indecent images to others between April and August 2015 and taking indecent photos of a child between September and December 2015.

Smith also tried to arrange to meet a girl under the age of 13 in order to sexually assault her, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Regarding this offence, he pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence between February and April this year.

And finally he admitted distributing 18 indecent images of children between February and April this year.

Smith denied sexual assault of a child under 13 on April 9 this year and taking indecent images of a child during June 2016.

Prosecutor Janine Wood said his pleas were acceptable and that the Crown would not proceed with the two charges he denied.

Gareth James, defending, said he was not asking for a pre-sentence report on Smith but he did want medical reports about his treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr James asked for a four-week adjournment for those reports to be carried out.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC agreed, saying: “He has owned up as quickly as he can and I think that is only fair.”

He made it a condition of Smith’s bail that he does not contact or associate with anyone under 18.

After the hearing, an NSPCC spokesman condemned Smith.

“Smith has been exposed as a serial child sex offender, responsible for a series of appalling offences in recent years,” he said.

From taking, making and sharing indecent images of children, to attempting to meet a young girl for sex, Smith’s appalling actions were carried out purely for his own sexual gratification and it is right that he now faces justice.”