Teacher downloaded indecent photos
Published Date:
01 December 2008
By Ben Truslove
MONDAY 8am: A teacher was convicted of downloading a hoard of indecent photographs of children on a school computer.
Father-of-two Aaron Madden (30) of Welby Road, Asfordby Hill, appeared before Melton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, November 27, after previously admitting the charges of viewing 48 pictures.
Richard Weedon, prosecuting, told the court: "A number of websites were found to be visited on the computer and a number of images found to be downloaded."
He added there were three images of under five-year-olds, 34 pictures of under 13-year-olds and 11 under 16s, all viewed on June 23.
The court was told Madden had been appointed a foundation stage teacher of four to five-year-olds at Ravenhurst County Primary School in January.
He was given a laptop to prepare lessons and for a limited amount of personal use but a virus meant he had to return it.
A school technician found the pictures, despite Madden attempting to wipe the web browser's history.
When he was confronted by the headteacher, Madden first blamed it on his father-in-law but later changed his story telling police it must have been burglars.
In a probation report given to the magistrates, officers said he had told them his marriage was in difficulty and his wife suggested he investigated naturism.
But in court Madden denied it saying it was entirely his own actions before apologising to his wife at the back of the court.
Representing himself, Madden asked magistrates to take into account the pictures were the lowest level of severity and he was only charged for looking at them on one day. He also denied trying to clear his computer's history.
He said: "In my case the material was solely personal use. It was never for commercial gain it was never forwarded to anyone else, it was never beyond my own personal activity."
He added: "The risk of re-offending was judged by the probation to be medium risk. I know myself there is never going to be a chance of re-offending for me. It was an act of stupidity, it was never about sexual gratification."
Magistrates gave Madden credit for an early guilty plea, sentencing him to a two year community order with supervision, made to sign the sex offenders register which he will stay on for five years, ordered to pay £60 costs and do a sexual offenders programme.
The police were also granted a five year sexual offences prevention order which gives them more powers to monitor him.
The full article contains 436 words and appears in Melton Times newspaper.
-
Last Updated:
28 November 2008 3:53 PM
-
Source:
Melton Times
-
Location:
Melton
