A primary school teacher has been jailed for 20 months after he watched a live stream of a six-year-old boy being raped. Wayne Brookes, 43, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, accessed an online chat room where the abuse was broadcast from the United States.
Bristol Crown Court heard that Brookes also viewed a recording of a six-month-old baby being abused. He admitted four charges of making indecent images of children. The court was told that Brookes, who had worked as a teacher for 10 years, used the profile name 'Bear' to enter the chat room after receiving a 10-digit code from another paedophile.
Judge Martin Picton said Brookes had kept his interest in young children a secret from his partner, viewing the material late at night. The judge noted that while there was no suggestion Brookes accessed indecent images at work or offended against any children in his care, his actions would cause 'alarm and distress' at his school.
Defence barrister Virginia Cornwall described Brookes as 'a broken man' who had shown remorse and understanding for his criminality. Brookes is the second of four men to be sentenced following a National Crime Agency investigation into the chat room. The rapist who broadcast the attack was arrested in the US in February and jailed for up to 30 years.
