Police have confirmed that a teacher who took photos of children and then edited them at home to make them indecent, did not commit any contact offences against any of his students.

Liam Paul Taylor appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood this week when he pleaded guilty to six counts of making and possessing indecent images of children.

The 26-year-old, who is now living in the UK, was a teacher at Ballakermeen High School.

He used Artificial Intelligence to manipulate images on his computer to make them indecent.

Detective Inspector Nick Haxby, from the Protecting Vulnerable People Investigation (PVPI) team at Isle of Man Constabulary, said: ‘Liam Taylor, has pleaded guilty to a number of offences relating to the making and possession of prohibited and indecent pseudo images of children.

‘The defendant at the time was a teacher at Ballakermeen High School, where he abused his position of trust in order to obtain a number of non-indecent images of students.

‘These images were adapted using Artificial Intelligence resulting in the charges for which he has now pleaded guilty under the Sexual Offences and Obscene Publication Act 2021.

‘My team and officers from the Digital Evidence Unit (DEU) have worked with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) and a thorough investigation has been conducted.

‘As a result of the investigation, we are satisfied that no contact offences have been committed by the defendant on any of the students affected by his actions.’

A spokesman for the DESC said: ‘While the department cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings, we want to reaffirm that the safety and wellbeing of children is our utmost priority.

‘The department has strict safeguarding policies in place and will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure these are upheld.]

The offences were committed on May 27 last year and involve 43 images, all of which were said to be in the level one category of the Copine scale which measures severity from one to five, with five being the most severe.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told the court that devices had been seized from Taylor and analysed by police.

Images of children which were not indecent were found on his phone.

However, police discovered he had placed the images on his computer at home and then manipulated them to make them indecent.

In court, they were said to be ‘pseudo images’, involving AI and Anime, a style of Japanese animation typically aimed at adults.

The case has been committed to the higher court for sentencing.

Declining summary court jurisdiction, the Deputy High Bailiff said one of the ‘enormous’ aggravating factors was the time spent manipulating images.

Taylor, of Hindle Street, Darwen, Lancashire, had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty immediately, the court was told.

His advocate asked for a probation report to be prepared before sentencing.

Taylor was bailed to his address in the UK and will return to the island to make his first appearance at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on January 31.