A PRIMARY teacher is facing jail after admitting secretly filming the private parts of pupils and young girls at the school where he worked.

James Hughes, 54, used his phone and iPad to record pupils after taking them out of class for one-to-one lessons.

He would get the girls to stand on chairs and put their legs up in the air while he recorded them under a desk.

Hughes, who was a principal teacher at the school in North Lanarkshire, was only caught when three teenagers who were doing work experience at his school caught him filming them.

One of the girls went into his office and discovered photos of herself on his iPad and reported Hughes to the headteacher.

Police were contacted and a search of his school office and home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, uncovered 260 images and 79 recordings on his phone and computers.

Hughes appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court where he pleaded guilty to two charges of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act by secretly filming and photographing girls aged between eight and 16.

Fiscal depute Anne Frances Hilley told the court: “The accused was asking the girls to be excused from lessons, saying he needed assistance and for extra reading lessons.

“The complainers described that the accused would play with them. He would have them sit on a chair and raise their legs into the air and tell them to open them wide.

“He positioned one of the girls so the camera was pointing under her skirt. He tried to get her to do the splits but she refused.

“Unbeknown to them the accused was filming them under the desk and the camera was focused on the complainers’ genital area.

“He was their teacher and they trusted him. They were ashamed and embarrassed at what had happened.

“He was in a position of trust. They were all pupils in the care of the accused who was an experienced teacher. They thought of him as a great teacher until this happened. All are now aware of what he was doing.”

Miss Hilley told how Hughes's crimes came to light when three girls aged between 14 and 16 were on a work placement at the school in November 2016.

They noticed him taking pictures of them and recording them. On the final day of the girls' placement, one of them went to his office and found images of herself on his iPad.

She reported him to the headteacher and the school went on to alert parents and the council education department.

Sheriff Petra Collins deferred sentence next month and placed Hughes on the sex offenders’ register.

She said: “I am prepared to continue bail but you have to appreciate that you have pled guilty to what are extremely serious matters and at the forefront of my mind is a custodial sentence.”

Hughes was suspended from his post when the allegations came to light and is expected to be sacked at a disciplinary hearing this week.

Gerard McLaughlin, head of education at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “The safety and welfare of our pupils is paramount and as soon as the school was alerted to the incident, immediate action was taken to protect them.

“A police investigation was launched and Mr Hughes was immediately suspended. A full range of support services were offered to pupils and staff and school management engaged with parents to keep them informed of the situation.

“Incidents such as these are extremely rare within our schools but the council takes all allegations seriously and carries out all appropriate measures to safeguard pupils.”