A FORMER primary school teacher who downloaded and distributed child porn has been jailed for two years.

Peter Meakin, 57, of Westbourne Avenue, Burnley, swapped images of girls being abused with a man who has since been jailed for at least eight years for conspiring to abduct and rape a child. Meakin also sent almost 60 obscene pictures to six people.

Meakin, who has taught at several schools in East Lancashire, could put forward no other explanation for his behaviour other than depression.

However the illness was described by medics as a "moderate episode", Burnley Crown Court heard.

The father-of-three had sobbed in the dock as his barrister claimed he committed the offences when he was "a shell" of the man he once was.

Meakin had admitted 10 charges of making an indecent photo of a child and 10 of distributing an indecent photo, specimen counts representing 53 images.

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt said Meakin was an active participant and not simply a recipient of someone else's pervereted thoughts.

She said chat between the defendant and the convicted man Alan Hedgecock about the pictures they shared and what they would like to do to the girls on them was disgusting.

The judge said the girls in the pictures were real people and real victims.

Katie Jones, prosecuting, told the court last August police acting on information from the Metropolitan Police went to Meakin's home with a warrant.

Meakin let them in, said he had nothing to do with child porn, but was arrested.

Computer equipment was seized and examined and officers found indecent images.

The defendant had distributed porn through a computer programme entitled Picasso Hello, which allowed people to connect with friends and share digital pictures and chat.

Hundreds of high quality pictures could be instantly and securely sent.

Meakin had 49 friends listed in the programme.

Miss Jones said Meakin used the name Stroller to chat and log showed contact between he and someone named Foley, describing the manner in which they liked to sexually abuse children.

Twenty eight images were exchanged between the pair.

The prosecutor said Foley was a man named Alan Hedgecock, who was recently jailed indefinitely for public protection at Southwark Crown Court. He was also convicted of child porn offences and got four years. Both cases involved other defendants.

Miss Jones said Meakin was questioned by police, said he lived with his wife, son and stepson and had a large collection of pictures of transexuals and other adult porn pictures he had downloaded. He claimed he had never visited sites which offered child porn and said if he was ever sent an inappropiate image he immediately deleted it. Meakin confirmed he would have images of teenagers on his computer but said none were underage.

The defendant told officers he had ordered a programme called Evidence Eliminator because he was worried about his wife finding out about the downloaded pics of transexuals. He claimed he had never deleted indecent images of children using the programme.

Miss Jones said Meakin was bailed for computer examination and when interviewed later was told child porn had been found.

He was asked if he had downloaded it.

The defendant issued a prepared statement saying he had been sent indecent images, had not wanted them, had no interest in them and had never forwarded any.

Meakin said he had used the sites when he was depressed and drinking and that might account for why he had not deleted the images.

The defendant was further interviewed in November, made no comment and said he did not have a preference for children.

Miss Jones said that none of the pictures on Meakin's computer related to children at schools he had taught at.

Andrew Nuttall, defending, said until August 2005, Meakin had lived a worthwhile life.

"He had worked as a teacher and served in Northern Ireland when in the army.

"His health had deteriorated and he became "a shell of the man he once was".

Meakin had been depressed, drank, started to look inwards and shunned all company, Mr Nuttall said.

He now had the help of a community psychiatric nurse, was on three types of medication and was hopefully getting better, Mr Nuttall said.

Mr Nuttall said the defendant was able to understand the enormity of what he had done, felt shame and remorse and that he deserved a chance.

The barrister added Meakin had clearly been ill at the time of the offences and continued to need treatment.

He said:" He was blissfully unaware of the real identity of Alan Hedgecock and his only connection was through a computer chatroom."

The defendant was banned from working with children for life, must not have any contact with a child under 18 unless supervised by an appropriate adult and was banned from possessing or using any computer with or without internet access except in employment approved by the police or to communicate with his wife and son in China.

He has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.