Teacher loses registration over inappropriate images

A disgraced former principal jailed for possessing child abuse and bestiality images has had his teacher's registration cancelled. Photo / Thinkstock

A disgraced former principal jailed for possessing child abuse and bestiality images has had his teacher's registration cancelled.

David Latimer, former head of Rangeview Intermediate in West Auckland, was sentenced to 16 months in jail on charges of possessing objectionable material.

Now, the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has censured Latimer and cancelled his registration.

The Tribunal said Latimer agreed the conviction was serious and warranted an "adverse finding" for which cancellation was an appropriate punishment.

The Tribunal said in a new decision that a censure and cancellation were the only "realistic" outcomes for Latimer.

In May, the prosecution told Auckland District Court around 77,000 objectionable images were found on Latimer's school equipment.

Crown lawyer Natalie Small said some images included scenes of rape, torture and bestiality, showing both adults and children from as young as two years of age to their mid teens.

Most of the children were aged between 9 and 13.

The defence said Latimer's collection was the product of compulsive behaviour and obsessive hoarding tendencies, and his offending did not involve Rangeview Intermediate students.

But the Crown said three images from a school camp were found among the pornographic material.

The 48-year-old resigned in February 2014 after a Department of Internal Affairs investigation.