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Teacher jailed for child abuse images from 1970s
26 Jan
Summary
- A 78-year-old former teacher was sentenced to 51 weeks in prison.
- He created child abuse images in the 1970s while teaching.
- The images were discovered more than 50 years later.
A former teacher, Alexander Johnston, aged 78, has been sentenced to 51 weeks in prison for possessing child abuse images. These images were created by Johnston in the 1970s while he was employed as a teacher at Bishop's Stortford College in Hertfordshire, working there between 1976 and 1979.
Johnston pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial at Cambridge Crown Court. Hertfordshire Police described him as a dangerous sexual predator who exploited his position of power. The court heard that he plied his victim with alcohol and created indecent images of them.
Although legislation at the time did not allow charges for creating such images, Johnston retained them for over 50 years. Police successfully recovered these images as evidence. He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for a decade, with authorities commending the victim's bravery.
