A 29-year-old man from Edmonton who made child pornography and sexually interfered with four children – including his own stepchildren – has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In what police say is an unusual move, a judge ordered the man to serve at least half his sentence before being eligible for parole.

The man, who can't be named to protect the identity of the children – who are between the ages of two and nine – pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual interference, one count of making child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

The judge gave him eight years for the sexual interference charges, four years for making pornography and two years for distributing it, with two years to run concurrent for possessing the material.

"I'm extremely pleased with the sentence," Internet Child Exploitation unit Det. Randy Wickins said in a news release. "I'm happy that it's resolved and that the children won't have to be put through any court proceedings."

Police charged the man in May, after seizing a computer from a home in north Edmonton while investigating charges of sexual abuse.

Police said officers found "extremely disturbing" images and videos involving the two stepchildren.

There were also videos and images that showed two other children, also between the ages of two and nine, being sexually abused, police said.

Other "violent and graphic" video images and pictures were also on the computer, and police said they included the abuse of children as young as infants.

In addition to serving seven years before applying for parole, the man must give a DNA sample, will have to comply with the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and, for the rest of his life, he'll have to stay away from areas where children gather, including schools and public swimming pools.