Teacher 'hid boy's trunks in bag'

The alleged incidents happened in the Bristol area

A teacher took more than 350 photos of boys' bottoms in his flat and kept a pair of trunks sealed in a bag for more than 12 years, a court heard.

Stephen Johnston, 56, initially, denied there was a sexual motive behind taking the intimate pics but later admitted there was, Bristol Crown Court heard.

His attacks on a boy allegedly occurred when he worked in Bristol in the 1990s.

Mr Johnston, from Sturminster Newton, Dorset, denies two serious sex assaults and five indecent assaults.

The court heard the former French teacher, who was working at a Bristol school, took the pictures of the youngsters because he liked their "personalities".

I never planned to have sex with them and never had sex with them Stephen Johnston

However, under cross examination, Mr Johnston, admitted lying and said the numerous shots of their "crotches and backsides were no accident and were motivated by his physical attraction to them".

"I would suppose I did find them sexually attractive, but I never planned to have sex with them and never had sex with them," Mr Johnston, who is alleged to have carried out the attacks between 1991 and 1994, told the jury.

He told the court he had taken the vulnerable youngster "under his wing because he was being bullied at school and was lonely".

He admitted inviting him around to his flat for private French lessons and then purely for social visits, but did not tell his bosses about the meetings.

The court heard Mr Johnston had taken the huge collection of pictures when the boys were in his flat, on school trips abroad and in the swimming pool.

Pornographic films

He also admitted watching pornographic films with the boy but denied it was part of a "grooming process".

But the court heard he could not explain why he had kept the photos and a pair of the boy's trunks sealed in a bag.

The alleged victim, now aged 29, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had visited his flat with another pupil.

The court heard Mr Johnston allegedly showed the boy - who was under 16 at the time - a pornographic film and then proceeded to carry out a sex act on him.

The court heard Mr Johnston had sex with the teenager on "at least 10 occasions".

The case continues.