A 37-year-old man has been jailed for 42 months and will have to undergo three years of treatment after he admitted to assaulting and biting a police officer who caught him in possession of about 200 photographs of naked children last month.

Keith Falzon, from Swieqi, had been arraigned on May 18 when he admitted to the possession of the photographs found by the police on a memory card. Sources said the photographs showed naked children but were not hardcore child porn.

When he was approached by the police on May 16, Mr Falzon resisted arrest, slightly injuring a police officer. He also pleaded guilty to disobeying police orders and committing the offence during the term of an 18-month suspended sentence handed down in 2013.

On handing down judgement Magistrate Neville Camilleri noted the serious nature of the offences as well as the fact that Mr Falzon filed an early guilty plea. 

He fined Mr Falzon €4,500, jailed him for 24 months and ordered that the 18-month suspended jail term be brought into effect bringing the total jail term to 42 months. He also placed the accused under a treatment order for three years and ordered the destruction of the pornographic material. His name is to be included in the child offenders' register. 

Police inspectors Sylvana Briffa and Edel Mary Camilleri prosecuted, while lawyer Roberto Montalto appeared for Mr Falzon.