Glee actor Mark Salling pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

He faces four to seven years in prison

Mark Salling (Getty)

Mark Salling — best known for playing Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee — has pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography.

The 35-year-old faces between four and seven years in prison and has been ordered to pay $50,000 (£38,000) to each victim.

The actor was facing 20 years in prison but, after entering a plea deal, prosecutors agreed a lesser sentence was suitable.

As part of the agreement, Salling will be under supervised release for 20 years, becoming a registered sex offender and being banned from anywhere frequented by people under age 18.

Police initially investigated Salling after receiving a tip from one of Salling’s former girlfriends, arresting the actor 29 December 2015.

According to TMZ, they found more than 50,000 of child pornography and child erotica on his personal computer, leading to the case being referred to federal authorities.

Speaking about the case to The Sun, Lieutenant Andrea Grossman, commander of the LAPD internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said: “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable. These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse.”

Salling was previously sued by a former partner for sexual battery, Roxanne Gorzela claiming the actor forced her to have unprotected sex with him. The pair settled out of court for a reported $2.7 million.