A BIOLOGY teacher who sexually assaulted two male pupils has been jailed for 16 months.

Andrew Beattie was arrested in May 2010 after more than 1300 indecent images of children were found on his home computer. The victims then came forward to report the assaults which took place at Selkirk High School in the Borders in the 1990s.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Donald Corke told the 62-year-old: "You must understand the public revulsion that a teacher should possess such images."

Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard Beattie himself had been the victim of sexual abuse in the past and had a "lifelong interest in pubescent boys".

Beattie – a teacher at Selkirk High School for 30 years – previously pled guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to having the indecent images of children at his home in Hawick, on May 14, 2010.

He also admitted indecently assaulting a 14-year-old boy while working as a teacher at the secondary school between April and August 1991 and also performing a sex act on a 15-year-old male pupil between April 1995 and May 1996.

Defence advocate Shelagh McCall said experts had rated the prospects of Beattie re-offending as "relatively low".

She said: "He is determined not to commit a similar offence again. He is deeply ashamed."

Sheriff Corke imposed jail sentences of 16 months and eight months for the indecent assaults as well as four months for the child pornography – to run concurrently.

Beattie was also put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.