A primary school teacher who filmed children as they changed for swimming lessons has been jailed for six months.
But a judge said he was confident Richard Oldham, 32, was “man enough” to wrestle his demons as he passed sentence at Leeds Crown Court.
Oldham admitted taking the footage on his mobile phone when he was a teacher in York.
He also admitted touching two pupils inappropriately and possessing hundreds of indecent images of children on his computer.
Judge Rodney Jameson told him: “You have demons to wrestle with. I’m confident you’re man enough to do it.”
Judge Jameson heard that Oldham had been a gifted teacher and said to him: “It’s a loss to the community. Good teachers are not a rare commodity but when they’re found they should be treasured.”
The judge said: “This is, in the classic sense of the word, a tragedy that somebody with your ability, and the good in you, was not able to control successfully instincts that led you to commit these offences.”
He told Oldham the six-month sentence “for you will be a very severe punishment”.
He said the offences “strike at the root of the the relationship that children should have with their teachers”.
Judge Jameson said he was particularly concerned about the filming at the swimming baths.
He said many of the children featured might never be identified and many people in York will wonder whether Oldham possessed images of them.
“This is a crime that’s likely to have continuing consequences for very many people,” the judge added.