A FORMER teaching assistant from Stourbridge has been given a suspended jail sentence after admitting possessing more than 200 indecent images of children – some in the worst category.

Marcus Roberts, of Caslon Crescent, Norton, pleaded guilty to three offences of possession of indecent images of a child and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on September 5.

The 38-year-old was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, for the first and most serious offence – possession of 17 category A indecent still and moving images of children.

He was also given an eight-month suspended sentence for possession of 94 category B images, to run concurrently. He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to register with police for 10 years.

A four-month suspended prison sentence was also meted out for possession of 141 category C images (also to run concurrently).

The sentences include a requirement to carry out rehabilitation activities and the court also ordered the deprivation of his phone.

It’s understood Roberts was sacked from his job at a local school, part of the Invictus Academy Trust.

The Trust said he was dismissed after it was discovered in 2022 that he had breached code of conduct policies by befriending former students on social media platforms.

A spokesperson for the trust, deputy CEO Phillipa Harris, added: “We also made referrals to all the relevant authorities about this person’s behaviour.

“Some 18 months after this individual had left our employment, we became aware that a criminal investigation was underway regarding this individual downloading and accessing inappropriate material online. While our involvement has been limited, we have sought to support the police in any way we can during their investigation.

“Due to the legal case, we have not been able to share information about this with our community until this stage. Safeguarding our students is central to everything we do as a Trust, and we are grateful that colleagues took swift action when they did back in 2022 to remove him from our school community.”