A TEACHER who admitted making indecent photographs of children said the images "appeared" on his computer automatically after he visited an adult chatroom.

Nicholas Rowley, an information and communications technology teacher at Joseph Rowntree School, in York, is still to be sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of creating the pictures.

But a judge yesterday accepted he did not intentionally save the photographs, after he said they were posted on the adult chatroom by someone else.

Rowley, 26, of Alma Terrace, Selby, is currently suspended from the school, which says it vetted him thoroughly before giving him a job.

The pictures, believed to show teenage girls showing their breasts, appeared on Rowley's computer on September 18, 2004.

His barrister, Stephen Duffield, told Leeds Crown Court that Rowley visited a computer chatroom called Chatopolis on September 3, 2004.

"Chatopolis has a stated policy of zero tolerance of the abuse of children, and he went to that site to enter an internet conversation about adult pornography," said Mr Duffield. "During the course of that conversation, images of females under 18 were posted to the chatroom without any action on Mr Rowley's part."

The barrister said Rowley returned to the chatroom on September 18 and three pictures of teenage girls under 18 were downloaded to an internet cache on his computer.

But he said: "Mr Rowley is repelled by pornography involving females under 18 years, and never took any steps to obtain the images, which by virtue of the operating system were automatically downloaded to the internet cache.

"He pleads guilty to making three images on the basis of an error of judgement in returning to the chatroom on September 18, with the knowledge of what had happened on September 3."

Rowley had been due to stand trial accused of 16 counts of making indecent photographs of children between January 1 and October 18, 2004, as well as one count of possessing indecent photographs of a child.

But Jim Withyman, prosecuting, said the Crown accepted the three guilty pleas and Rowley's explanation as his "total criminality."

Judge James Barry adjourned the hearing for a probation report to be carried out and Rowley will be sentenced later.

Rowley's neighbours in Alma Terrace said they were concerned after learning of his guilty plea.

One said: "I just think people are afraid. A lot of people round here have got children, and my son plays football on the field by his house.

"I did see him about six months ago throwing his old computer away in a dustbin. He is like a loner, it didn't at all surprise me when I heard."

Another neighbour said Rowley had suffered abuse from local people since he was charged.

Today headteacher of Joseph Rowntree, Hugh Porter wrote to parents this week to assure them that the incident had not been connected with the school, which has 1,349 pupils, and that Rowley had obtained his enhanced clearance from the Criminal Record Bureau when he started working in September, 2003

He said: "Obviously we're pleased that the case is now settled as it has dragged on for a long time.

"We're relieved that it is not associated with the school but disappointed that a teacher should be involved in such activities.

"We're always glad when this sort of behaviour is identified and dealt with."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The school will follow the council's personnel policies, and in these circumstances an internal investigation will be launched and ultimately a disciplinary committee will be convened."

Updated: 15:13 Wednesday, February 01, 2006