Jailed teacher had 14,000 child porn images

A primary school teacher in England, whose massive collection of child porn shocked hardened detectives, was jailed for two years today.

Officers who had to examine almost 14,000 images recovered from Gary Clement’s home found hundreds depicting acts of sadism, bestiality and rape.

One said they were among the “very worst” he had seen.

But London’s Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court heard that although he knew he had a problem, Clement – who taught hundreds of children during the five years spent surfing the Internet to “feed his fantasies” – initially regarded them as no more harmful than “Star Wars picture cards”.

Today the 33-year-old of Talma Gardens, Twickenham, west London, who is married but has no children of his own, hung his head in apparent shame as he was sentenced for eight counts of making indecent photographs of youngsters.

Judge Derek Inman told him that like so many others who ended up before the courts for such crimes, he had started viewing ordinary adult porn on the Internet.

“But the more you saw the odder your interest became,” the judge said.

“You became an obsessive collector and as was said in the pre-sentence report, you regarded it as being no different from collecting Star Wars picture cards.”

The judge went on: “You are a very intelligent man and a primary school teacher who comes into daily contact with small children.

“You of all people must have realised the making of such images has a serious and long-lasting effect on those involved.”

What made the case even more disturbing was the content of some of the images and the length of time Clement had spent collecting them.

He had now lost his “priceless good character” but only had himself to blame.

The judge, who banned him for life from ever working with children again and ordered him to register as a sex offender for 10 years, said the case was so serious he was extending his post-release period of licence to three years.