A FORMER teacher who set up a successful lesson planning website has been sent to prison for 12 months for a child porn offence.

Police recovered 424 computer images of children that Samuel Kinge had deleted.

Five years ago, Kinge was sent to prison for similar crimes. But concerns arose last year after photographs of children appeared on his website, Sparklebox.com, said Gareth Walters, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

A police expert concluded that Kinge had an interest in young children, including the sexual abuse of babies.

Also recovered were 549 photographs of children in family settings that were not indecent.

Kinge, aged 28, of Shannon Way, Evesham, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of making indecent photographs of children.

Judge John Cavell said his behaviour was of a man determined to seek sexual gratification from viewing child images on the internet.

He said the defendant had shown a high degree of premeditation and had used software to destroy the pictures.

Kinge taught religious education at a primary school in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, before he was sacked in 2005 after receiving a nine-month jail term.

But on September 24 last year he was arrested again and his computer seized.

On an online messaging system, Kinge went under the name Samuel on a site entitled “Under-5 Boys”, said Mr Walters. It carried a picture of a naked four-year-old.

Kinge told police he felt deeply ashamed. He claimed soft toys found at his home were Christmas presents.

He admitted making three trips to Uganda, insisting he was helping an orphanage.

He said photographs he took of children were for a record of his journey.

Defence counsel Andrew Davidson said his schools website was a legitimate business that had made money for four years.

Churchgoer Kinge had spent money on sex therapy after realising he needed professional help.

But Mr Davidson said the treatment had not worked and Kinge had slipped back into offending.

The judge passed a 15-year sexual offences prevention order banning Kinge from using a computer unless it had a police detection programme installed.

He was barred from contact with children under 16 and from working with them. He must also sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.