Choir leader sentenced over porn

Keith Knowles has been suspended since December 2005

The head of a leading boys' school choir has been sentenced after being found guilty of making and possessing child pornography.

Keith Knowles, 37, of Aigburth, Liverpool, was in charge of the Catholic Saint Francis Xavier College Boys' Choir in the city.

The famous choir has sung for the Pope and made it into the charts.

Knowles was given a two-year community and supervision order at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs and sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

Disciplinary investigation

Knowles was caught when an ex-girlfriend found images of young boys on his computer, and called police.

His two computers were seized and more indecent images of teenage boys were found.

All the images were graded at the less serious end of the child pornography scale, and they were not linked to Knowles's job.

He has been suspended from the post since his arrest in December 2005.

Les Rippon, head of SFX College, said a disciplinary investigation into the suspended teacher is likely to conclude next month.

As well as singing twice for the Pope, the choir sang on the official song for the 2004 European Football Championships, a remix of The Farm song, All Together Now.

The choir is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being the first to sing at services in all 49 Anglican cathedrals in England and Wales.

It has toured several countries in the past six years and performed for a private audience at the Vatican in 1999.