A FORMER teacher has pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children in Herefordshire.

Stephen Cunningham, also referred to on court documents as Stephen Hand, carried out the offences over a nine-year period. He appeared at Hereford Magistrates Court on January 24.

Melanie Winterflood, prosecuting, said Cunningham's ex-wife had found images of children on his laptop and confronted him, asking him to turn himself in.

The 61-year-old had 44 photographs of children on his laptop and had attempted to delete some of them before voluntarily going to the police. The photographs were of male and female children, with the youngest identified as just 11 years old. In some images, there were a number of adults with one child.

Nine of the photographs were category A, one was category B and 34 were category C. According to the law, category A refers to penetrative sexual activity or sadism, category B is non-penetrative sexual activity, and category C is other indecent images.

Cunningham, now of Ddole Road in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of children. 

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Matthew Graham, defending, said Cunningham was autistic, and that his marriage had ended after his offences were uncovered. He said that Cunningham was of good character.

Magistrates said that the matters were too serious to be dealt with by them, and sent the case to Worcester Crown Court.

He will appear in crown court on February 23, and in the meantime is on unconditional bail with a sexual risk order.