Teacher Matthew Underwood Accused Of Child Porn Offences Walks Free From Court

A secondary school teacher from Ely accused of downloading indecent photographs of children on to a laptop has walked free from court.

A judge sitting at Cambridge Crown Court ordered the jury to return not guilty verdicts on all 18 counts.

Matthew Underwood, 38, of New Barns Avenue, who teaches at Impington Village College near Cambridge, always denied any wrongdoing.

Judge Jonathan Haworth ruled that there was no case to answer following a trial.

Underwood, was charged with 15 counts of making indecent images and three counts of possessing indecent images on a laptop belonging to the school.

Police found a total of 170 indecent images on the laptop after IT technicians raised concerns. A stash of Japanese child porn magazines and dvds was also found.

Underwood, who had taught at the school since 1999, was arrested on child porn charges and suspended from work on December 18, 2007. He told the court the images were downloaded as part of a project to raise gay awareness using 'Japanese kitsch' - pictures of teenagers in provocative poses.

Ely Standard