Ex-teacher jailed for child porn

A former RE and English teacher has been jailed for six months for possessing child pornography.

Jeffrey Jones, 61, admitted seven counts of making indecent images of children at an earlier hearing, Southwark Crown Court heard.

His house was raided by police in 2006 following information that he had been in contact with a convicted paedophile.

The retired teacher, from Couldson, south London, was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.

Jones and his girlfriend were swingers and had engaged in sexual activity with strangers, and advertised on a special website, the court heard.

He had been searching out computer material long before this encounter with the paedophile Roger Daniells-Smith, prosecuting

The former teacher at a school in Warlingham, Surrey, used to check out people who responded by getting into correspondence with them, and that was how he came in contact with the convicted paedophile who was being monitored by police.

Roger Daniells-Smith, prosecuting, said the paedophile tried to impress Jones by his depravity, and downloaded indecent images of children to him.

Jones responded by saying how excited and interested he was in the material.

Computers were analysed and 259 other images which formed the subject of the charges were found.

Mr Daniells-Smith said: "He had been searching out computer material long before this encounter with the paedophile."

But Judge Gregory Stone QC said he was not convinced by allegations made by the Crown that married Jones had targeted his girlfriend with whom he used to "swing" so that he could "groom" her children.

Nor did he think that Jones posed a serious risk to children.