Academic jailed for child porn

The professor admitted a total of 16 criminal charges

A former pro vice-chancellor of Loughborough University has been jailed for nine months after police found thousands of indecent pictures of children on his computer.

Professor Ian Coates Morison admitted he was addicted to child porn and surfed the internet at home and at work in search of pictures.

He even wrote sexual fantasies for other paedophiles to download from the internet.

Coates Morison, who admitted 14 counts of making and possessing indecent photos and two of publishing indecent articles, was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

The Oxford graduate, of Pilcher Gate, Nottingham, was caught after police officers working on Operation Ore raided his home following a tip-off from authorities in the United States.

They discovered about 10,000 pictures featuring children as young as five.

Coates Morison took the role of pro-vice-chancellor at Loughborough University in 1998 but resigned his post when the allegations came to light.

His solicitor said Coates Morison accepted his career was over.

In additions to his jail sentence, he was told to register as a sex-offender for 10 years.