Former teacher sentenced for child porn offences

04/05/2007

A former councillor, prospective Parliamentary candidate, and head of sixth form at Loughborough Grammar School has today been sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.

Robert Dockerill was convicted on two counts of making indecent images of a child and five of possessing indecent images of a child.

Today he was sentenced to a three year Community Rehabilitation Order, concurrent on each of the seven counts, and ordered to attend a sex offenders' programme.  He will have to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.  A five year sexual offences prevention order has also been imposed.  He has been ordered to pay £10,000 costs.

Jon Wood, prosecuting lawyer at Derbyshire Crown Prosecution Service said "Robert Dockerill did not conform to the stereotypical image of paedophile.  He was a respected member of the community who held positions of trust within that community - he was a local councillor, and a highly regarded member of the teaching staff at Loughborough Grammar School.  He abused that trust in the most appalling way.  He had access to four separate computers, including one loaned to him by Erewash Borough Council and his computer at school.  All were found to contain child pornography and links to material stored on the other computers.

"Anyone looking at, downloading and storing indecent images of children is fuelling an industry based on the exploitation and abuse of highly vulnerable victims.  The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to vigorously pursue and prosecute anyone using the Internet as a means of committing criminal activities that damage and abuse children."