A 29-year-old man has admitted leaving private sexual photographs of his victim in public.

The man, who lives in Bristol, printed off pictures of his victim – whose identity is being kept anonymous – and left them for other people to view in Nailsea.

He also admitted a second charge of harassment on Thursday and was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence at North Somerset Courthouse.

It is the first time anyone within the Avon and Somerset Constabulary force area has been sentenced for the new offence, which is often known as ‘revenge porn’.

Somerset Area Superintendent Mike Prior said: “This man committed a truly vindictive act designed to cause humiliation and distress to his victim. The victim has been fully supportive of our investigation and we’d like to praise her courage in coming forward and reporting the offence to us.

“It’s time to see offences like this as socially unacceptable with the potential to result in some very serious consequences.”