A SOCIAL worker and naturist leader from North Yorkshire was caught with sickening images of child abuse on his work computer, a hearing was told.

Drugs counsellor John Wymark-Hoar, 64, of Victoria Road, Malton, downloaded “disturbing” photos, cartoons and videos while working for the charity Crime Reduction Initiative in Leeds.

Among the stash kept on his office computer were images of sadism, bestiality, and child abuse ranked at the highest level of severity, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) heard.

The former Yorkshire region representative for British Naturism was struck off the social work register after a panel ruled his conviction on 29 offences of making and possessing pornographic material was “fundamentally incompatible” with remaining in the profession.

Wymark-Hoar admitted making indecent photographs of a child, possessing prohibited images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images at York Crown Crown last year and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and banned from having unsupervised conduct with anyone under-16 indefinitely.

GSCC panel chairwoman Susan Riddle said his behaviour was so serious that the only appropriate sanction was to remove him from the register.

The hearing was told a charity colleague had complained about him after finding vile video footage on his computer.