A TEACHER 'fascinated' by indecent images of youngsters has avoided jail after being caught snooping online for the abusive material.

Anthony Tooth admitted scouring the internet for the illegal images, which featured children as young as four being exploited.

The sex offender confessed he had a 'curiosity and fascination' with the degrading images but denied he was sexually attracted to children, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Judge Maria Lamb condemned the 58-year-old for deliberately seeking out the images, which paraded at least one 'distressed' child.

Sentencing on Thursday, she added: "People would be appalled [by the images] as I'm told you are. Behind each of these images lies an abused child.

"People like you who download that sort of material create a market for that and create a market for children to be abused so that these images are created.

"The court [is appalled by] the commission of these sort of offences - they are rightly, in my view, dealt with by terms of immediate custody."

But the judge went on to tell Tooth she could 'only just' slash his sentence, handing him an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, with a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Police searched Tooth's home in Spruce Drive, Bicester, after receiving a tip-off an IP address linked to his house was used to download the illegal material.

Officers seized his computer and hard drive, discovering the sex offender had searched online for the material and installed peer-to-peer software to download 17 images, prosecutor Cathy Olliver said.

Tooth, who taught mathematics to A-Level students, revealed he would view the images when he was 'bored' and late at night when drinking.

Defence barrister Lucy Tapper said Tooth, who had no previous convictions, had been depressed for 'some years' and was embarrassed about his offending.

The paedophile, who was also handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order, had 'completely stopped' downloading indecent images, she added.

Tooth, who must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, pay a victim surcharge and £700 costs, admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of a child between March 3, 2013, and March 6, 2016.

Judge Lamb also ordered forfeiture and destruction of the computer and hard drive.