A PRIMARY school teaching assistant caught in possession of 4,050 indecent images of children has been locked up.

Brendan Paul Thomas Birkett, 20, of Devonshire Road, Burnley, was targeted by police investigating child pornography offences after they received information implicating him.

At the time he was arrested, Birkett worked assisting children at St John
The Baptist RC Primary School, in Thames Avenue, Burnley, close to the town’s general hospital.

The school’s head teacher said yesterday that none of the crimes were related to any child attending St John’s.

As a result of the intelligence they received, police executed a search warrant at the Birkett’s home on May 13, 2016 and seized computer equipment belonging to him.

Officers who examined the confiscated computer equipment and devices belonging to Birkett found thousands of horrific sexual images of children.

Analysis by detectives found 977 ‘category A’ images, which feature the most serious examples of child sexual abuse.

On the devices belonging to Birkett were also 466 category B pictures and an additional 584 category C images.

Birkett also possessed 2,027 indecent images of children and six prohibited ones.

The images had been searched for and collected by Birkett between June 10, 2010 and May 14, 2016.

After his arrest and the nature of the allegations he was facing emerged, Birkett was suspended from his job at St John’s.

Sarah Price, Headteacher at St John’s RC Primary, said: ‘I can confirm that a member of staff was suspended from school with immediate effect when allegations came to light in May 2016.

“I’d like to reassure parents that the offences did not relate to the school or any of our pupils. 

“The school will take appropriate action in light of this conviction and sentence.”

One parent who has children at the school said she was sickened after she heard about Birkett’s conviction.

She said: “I’ve have two children who were in contact with this man in his role at the school.

“He was the teaching assistant in their class and as such was close to them every school day.

“Although we’ve been told his crimes didn’t involve the pupils at St John’s it still makes me and all the other parents I know feel sick. It’s appalling.

“What has also angered us is that the school have known about the nature of the allegations and charges for 10 months and have not told us a single thing.

“It was only on Thursday, the day he was sentenced, that we got a letter from the head about it.”

After being found guilty earlier in a jury trial, Birkett was sentenced at Burnley Crown Court to 12 months custody in a young offenders’ institution.

Birkett was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register, and will face restrictions for the next seven years.