A TEACHER is facing jail after he was caught with hundreds of child sex abuse images.

Jonathon Saunders worked as head of media at James Hornsby School, Laindon, where no one had been aware of his sickening perversions.

He spent three years in the post before being suspended in May last year. He had previously worked as a performing arts teacher at FitzWimarc School, Rayleigh.

Saunders, 40, of Station Road, Westcliff, was arrested in Wickford on May 5, last year, and was found to have 472 indecent images of children.

He appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Friday, dressed in a blue pin striped suit and tie and with his hair neatly gelled.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children. The images were graded between levels one and four on the copine scale – which goes up to level five for the most serious images.

Judge Jonathan Black, sitting at Basildon Crown Court, warned the former teacher he could face jail.

He said: “You’ve pleaded guilty to the three matters on the indictment, the third matter refers to indecent photographs of level four on the copine scale. To my mind that crosses the custody threshold.”

Saunders, who has also previously worked at the then Thorpe Bay School between April and August 2000, is also a trained yoga teacher having qualified with the Union Yoga Teacher Training.

The organisation said it was unable to comment until they had discussed matters internally.

Saunders was put on the Sex Offenders’ register, which means he will have to notify police of his address and National Insurance number.

In the meantime, he has been released on bail for probation officers to carry out a pre-sentence report.

He will return to Basildon Crown Court on the week commencing April 11 to learn his fate.

A school spokesman said: “James Hornsby School always takes matters of safeguarding children extremely seriously. When we were informed of the allegations we followed protocol and Mr Saunders was immediately suspended and later dismissed. The welfare and safety of our pupils is paramount and we will continue to ensure our pupils learn in a safe environment.”