ANTONY PHILLIPS, FORMER TEACHER IN WEST KIRBY, SENTENCED FOR DANGEROUS ONLINE OBSESSIONS

Antony Phillips, a 32-year-old ex-high school teacher and football coach from West Kirby, has been found guilty of collecting and possessing thousands of indecent images of children over several years. The court was told that Phillips paid for downloads of these images and conducted disturbing online searches, including terms like "changing room boys." Prosecutor Ben Berkson explained that police traced his IP address to an upload of a category B indecent image sent via Snapchat. Phillips was arrested at his home last December.

During the investigation, authorities seized two laptops and a mobile phone belonging to Phillips, both containing indecent images of children. Among these, police found a stash of 784 images classified as the most severe abuse (category A). The devices also contained additional images across categories B and C, along with 79 computer-generated prohibited images. Most of the images depicted teenage boys of school age, with troubling search terms such as "changing room boys" appearing in his internet history.

Phillips, who taught at Calday Grange Grammar School until January of this year, admitted during police interviews that he was "addicted to accessing this material." He denied having a sexual interest in his students but acknowledged experiencing "sexual arousal from viewing images of children." The defendant, who has no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of making indecent images and possessing prohibited images.

He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to nine months in prison, suspended for two years. His conditional sentence includes requirements such as completing 60 hours of unpaid work, attending a 15-day rehabilitation activity, and participating in the Horizon sex offender program. Phillips also consented to be listed on the sex offender register and for his devices to be forfeited. Additionally, he has sought psychological treatment to address his behavior.

Following his arrest, school authorities responded swiftly by initiating disciplinary procedures and cooperating fully with police and safeguarding agencies. The court was informed that Phillips expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged that he had betrayed the trust placed in him by his students and colleagues.