Smirking teacher, who downloaded 2,000 sickening child abuse images dodges jail
Evil Jonathan Horenfeld was busted as part of a probe into peer-to-peer websites where perverts share depraved images
A TWISTED teacher with a secret addiction to child abuse images stole a hard drive from a classroom and used it to store his trove of 2,000 depraved pics.
Evil Jonathan Horenfeld had been a trusted geography teacher at Harrytown Catholic High School in Romiley, Stockport, Cheshire.
But his career lies in tatters after cops raided his home in May last year as part of a probe into peer-to-peer sites where perverts shared sickening photos.
Two laptops and two hard drives containing nearly 2000 images of children were recovered.
Prosecutor Simon Barrett told a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing that Horenfeld had stolen one of the hard drives he was using from a colleague who had left it in a classroom.
Horenfeld, who has been sacked was jailed by magistrates at an earlier hearing for 12 weeks for the theft.
But the 25-year-old, of Eccles, Manchester was spared jail and sent on a sex offenders’ treatment programme after admitting 12 offences of making indecent images of children at Manchester Crown Court.
He laughed and joked as he left court.
There is no suggestion that he offended against any of the children he taught.
His lawyer, Peter Malone, told the sentencing hearing that his interest in the material stemmed from a traumatic childhood experience, and that he had been seeking professional help to change.
He said: “The investigation started in summer 2015, and he has been living in a nightmare of his own making since.
"He understands that he’s here because of what he’s done.
"Mr Horenfield trained as a teacher and worked as a teacher, but that profession is no longer open to him due to these offences.
"His partner is also affected - she’s unable to work as a nursery nurse now.
"He is someone who is ashamed and wishes to apologise. He understands what these type of offences mean to the victims - that there is a bigger effect down the line.”
Sentencing him to three-year community order, with a 60 day rehabilitation activity requirement, Judge Michael Henshell also made him subject to a sexual offences prevention order which restricts his contact with children and internet use.