A MAN accused of talking to other males online about committing vile sexual acts involving young children and downloading hundreds of indecent images has appeared in court at Yeovil.

James Harnett was living in Crewkerne at the time when he was said to have committed offences of grooming and making indecent photographs, some involving the rape of children as young as two.

He was also alleged to have downloaded images of extreme pornography involving people performing sexual acts with animals.

The 28-year-old defendant, currently living at an address in Greenwich High Road, Greenwich, was in the dock before Somerset Magistrates.

He was charged that between April 30 and May 2 this year at Crewkerne he intentionally arranged or facilitated an act which would involve the commission of a sexual offence, namely sexual activity with a child.

He was also alleged to have made indecent photographs of children, namely 123 images in the most serious category A.

He also faced two more similar offences involving making 104 indecent photographs of children in Category B and a further 783 in Category C.

Harnett was further charged with possessing eight extreme pornographic images, which portrayed in an explicit and realistic way, people performing acts of intercourse with animals which was grossly offensive, disgusting or of an obscene character.

The defendant did not enter pleas to any of the offences and the magistrates said the case was so serious that he must be sent to Taunton Crown Court to stand trial.

They adjourned proceedings until December 2 when he must appear before a pre-trial hearing at Taunton.

Until then he was given bail with conditions that he must live and sleep at his address in Greenwich and observe a doorstep curfew between 12am and 4am and must not have any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16.