A FORMER teacher tried to persuade two of his ex-pupils to send him sexually explicit pictures of themselves using the popular social networking Internet site, Bebo.

Exeter Crown Court yesterday heard that Andrew Delafield, 28, a former PE teacher at a Westcountry school, even posed as a young lesbian model to persuade a gay 16-year-old girl to send him pictures of herself naked.

He was caught after he approached a 15-year-old girl – whom he used to teach gymnastics at a private class outside school – on the Internet and tried to get her to send him nude pictures of herself.

Delafield, of Fairview Road, Newton Abbot, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to make an indecent image of a child under the age of 18, and 11 charges of making indecent photographs of children relating to 205 indecent images found on his computer. The offences all occurred between November 2007 and March this year.

The court was told that he was under the impression that the 15-year-old girl was in fact 16, because that was the age she had given on the website.

He later admitted in interviews with police that he considered girls of that age "fair game" for his sexual advances.

Malcolm Galloway, prosecuting, told the court: "He finds girls of that age (16) sexually attractive. He has sought out girls he knew were young because he was already aware of them."

He also praised the boyfriend of the younger girl, who was with her when she was "talking" to Delafield on the Internet earlier this year, keeping him online to extract vital evidence as to his identity, including a picture of himself.

The court heard that using a "chat" facility on Bebo, Delafield told her: "I know what we want to do is illegal".

Delafield taught both of the girls at a gym club, but the court was not told whether he taught them while he was a teacher at a Westcountry school. There was no suggestion he committed any offence while a teacher at the school.

He worked there as a sports teacher until the summer of 2007, when he left to work for a company creating computer software for sports coaches.

In the case of the young lesbian girl, Mr Galloway said Delafield had got in contact via the Internet after recognising her from the gym club.

"He purported to be a young lesbian called Lily and tried to get the woman to swap photographs," he said.

The indecent pictures found on his laptop after his arrest included some at level five, the most serious level, which can include scenes such as child rape.

Delafield was made to sign the sex offenders' register and bailed until he is sentenced at a later date. But Judge Graham Cottle told him: "You must understand that the fact I am granting you bail is not be taken by you as any indication that you will not receive a custodial sentence."