Ex-teacher jailed over sex images

The court heard Delafield had 271 images of child abuse on his computer

A former PE teacher who used a social networking site to offer a 15-year-old pupil £200 for sex has been jailed for 21 months.

Andrew Delafield, of Fairfield Road, Newton Abbot, Devon, also asked the teenager and another 15-old-girl pupil to send him indecent images.

The 28-year-old called himself Lanky Monkey when he made contact via the Bebo website, Exeter Crown Court heard.

Delafield had earlier been convicted of making indecent images of a child.

Knew girl

He was eventually caught when a male school friend of one of the girls pretended to be her and persuaded Delafield to send a facial image of himself.

Delafield was found guilty of two offences of attempting to make indecent images of a child and 11 of making indecent images of a child.

Judge Jeremy Griggs said the defendant knew the girls, which "takes it out of the normal run of internet cases".

Prosecutor Malcolm Galloway told the court Delafield was a software sales manager at the time of the offences, having previously been a PE teacher at a community college, which he left in the summer of 2007.

Delafield admitted he was aged 27 and used to be a PE teacher at the college, where he knew the girl from gymnastics.

When he finally agreed to send a facial image, the girl's male friend told him he was "busted" and the police and college were informed.

The prosecutor said Delafield had 271 still and moving images of child abuse on his computer.

Mackenzie Robinson, defending, said Delafield believed the girls were aged 16 and what he had done was "reckless stupidity".