A TEACHER who secretly filmed naked children in a Suffolk leisure centre's changing rooms was today given a three-year community rehabilitation order.Anthony Dunne, of Ferry Road, Felixstowe, admitted eight offences of editing and making indecent photographs of children taken at Felixstowe Leisure Centre.

A TEACHER who secretly filmed naked children in a Suffolk leisure centre's changing rooms was today given a three-year community rehabilitation order.

Anthony Dunne, of Ferry Road, Felixstowe, admitted eight offences of editing and making indecent photographs of children taken at Felixstowe Leisure Centre.

Four of the images showed naked children, aged between nine and 14 getting undressed.

Bury St Edmunds Crown Court was told a video camera had been focused on the youngsters' genitalia.

The video was then paused for periods as long as two minutes focusing on the naked children. It was then slowed down while showing the children getting undressed.

Three of the images centred on children in swimming costumes while one further image of an indecent image of a child was seized from his computer by police.

In a pre-sentence report, Dunne said he had taken the images to use in sex education lessons he carried out at Felixstowe's Langer Primary School.

Judge John Holt dismissed this explanation as "manifestly wrong".

Sentencing Dunne, he said: "You are a teacher but it has to be acknowledged, importantly, that this offence did not concern children who were in your care and this is not an instance of any breach of trust.

"It is of some relevance however, because you did put forward an explanation for this behaviour relating to your teaching of sex education. I have considered what you have to say and my judgement is that it is manifestly wrong."

Dunne was banned from working with children for life, ordered to sign a sex offenders' register for five years and pay prosecution costs of £850.

Mr Holt added: "The bundle of references you have provided show that you have been a dedicated and competent teacher. That career is certainly now at an end."

Defending, Caroline Bryant said her client "fully accepts" what he did was wrong and accepts full responsibility for it.

She added he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had co-operated fully with the police in their enquiries. Dunne, 37, has no previous convictions.

What do you think of the punishment given to Anthony Dunne? Write in to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk or visit the forum at www.eveningstar.co.uk