A primary school volunteer has been sent on a sex offenders course and banned from working with children after he was caught with almost 2,000 child abuse images.

Professional photographer and karate coach Ross Chesterton also worked as a volunteer teacher for one afternoon a week at the school near Newton Abbot.

Many of the images recovered by police experts from his computer were of girls and boys of primary school age, although at least one showed a child of two being abused.

Chesterton, aged 52, was ordered by a judge at Exeter Crown Court to attend a sex offenders’ course and was made subject to stringent controls on his use of the internet and future contact with children.

When he was first arrested by police he claimed to have been carrying out a private investigation into internet pornography but further inquiries showed more images and the use if evidence elimination software.

Chesterton, of Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot, admitted four counts of making indecent images and was ordered to undertake a three-year-long sex offenders’ course.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years which will allow police to monitor his internet use and restrict his contact with children.

Recorder Mr Philip Mott, QC, told him: "This was very persistent browsing rather than the deliberate saving of files for later access. There were no moving images and no chat or messaging.

"However, there were far more images than could possibly have arisen by chance. They clearly show an unhealthy interest in indecent images of children. A substantial number are in the higher categories.

"I accept the Sexual Harm Prevention Order will affect your ability to work as a photographer because it restricts your contact with children."

James Taghdissian, prosecuting, said Chesterton was found with images which had been stored in his computer’s memory when he browsed peer to peer sites.

He was traced by police in Devon after a tip-off from the National Crime Agency and found with a total of 347 images at the most serious category A, 567 at B and 973 at the lowest category C.

He said the images included a girl aged eight to ten suffering serious abuse, two young girls touching a naked boy of seven to eight, and images of naked children as young as two.

Chesterton blamed the images on other people using his computer or wi-fi and then said he was taking part in a private investigation. He finally admitted he had downloaded the images for sexual gratification.

At the time he worked one afternoon a week at a primary school near Newton Abbot teaching children to read. He has no previous convictions.

Emmi Wilson, mitigating, said the public would be better protected by Chesterton receiving help from the probation service to deal with issues which he now accepts are a problem.