A former teacher at a Leicestershire school has been convicted of making and possessing indecent child images.
Robert Dockerill, 32, from Crook, County Durham, denied the charges but was found guilty by an unanimous verdict by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.
Dockerill, was deputy head of the sixth form at Loughborough Grammar School and left in 2004.
The convictions related to child porn found on four computers, one of which he owned privately. The other three belonged to the Grammar School, Erewash Conservative Association, of which he was a member, and Erewash Borough Council, which lent him a laptop to assist him in his work as a councillor.
The chairman of the Standards Board, Dr Robert Chilton, said "By using a council computer to possess this material, Mr Dockerill brought his conduct out of his private capacity and linked it with his office as councillor. The public elect councillors to positions of trust, and when that trust is abused, they rightly expect council members to be brought to account. Although Mr Dockerill did not receive a custodial sentence upon conviction, he used publicly-funded council resources to commit serious offences involving the exploitation of children and which are seen by the public as particularly repugnant. Such behaviour is not only criminal, but also seriously undermines the electorate's confidence in local democracy and the suitability of such an individual to hold office.
Loughborough Grammar School declined to comment.
Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Jon Wood said "He was a respected member of the community who held positions of trust within that community... he abused that trust in the most appalling way."
Mr Wood added that Dockerill had access to four separate computers and all were found to contain child pornography.
Outcome:
He was given a Community Rehabilitation Order, put on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and ordered to attend a Sex Offenders Programme. The former councillor was also ordered to pay £10,000 costs.
His disgrace was completed when local authority disciplinary body – the Standards Board for England – found he had "brought his office or authority into disrepute" and banned him from holding public office for five years.
Former Councillor who downloaded child porn has admitted breaching the terms of a Sexual Offences Order.
Robert Dockerill, 35, of High Grange, Crook, County Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching the order, made at Birmingham Crown Court in May 2007, between January the 11th and the 28th by receiving images after indulging in text chats. Dockerill is prohibited from such activity following a conviction of making and possessing indecent images of a child.
The court subsequently sentenced to Dockerill to 12 months imprisonment.