A FORMER teacher and church organist has been spared jail after he admitted downloading hundreds of child sex images.

Rex Berrecloth, 69, of The Chase, Paglesham, near Rochford, was found with a total of 426 images on a computer tower, two memory sticks and a memory card on June 29.

Southend Magistrates’ Court heard most of the images were category B and category C. Some of the images were computer generated and none were in the most serious category A.

However, the court heard police also found non-sexual images of children on a camera, apparently taken at a church fate.

Ian Allen, prosecuting, said police raided his home after receiving information and the items were seized.

He said: “They were subsequently investigated and they found indecent images of children.”

The former teacher was instrumental in applying for funding for the restoration of the 11th century St Peter’s Church in Paglesham, where he also plays the organ. The court heard Berrecloth is a former teacher, but has no previous convictions.

Emma Grewock, mitigating, said despite a probation service report mentioning the images found on the camera, there was no suggestion they were sexual or untoward.

She said: “He was a teacher for many years and despite the report there has never been any evidence at all put forward by the Crown that he has abused his position of trust during that period.”

Addressing the issue of the camera, she said: “There is no evidence that the boys were known to him and furthermore those images were not indecent.”

Magistrates handed him a 36 month community order and ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, undertake an internet sex offenders’ treatment programme and pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

He must sign the sex offenders’ register for the next ten years.