A TEACHER from Great Sankey who sexually abused two of his pupils at an Orford school has been jailed for 12 months - and told he will never work with children again.

The family of Neil Salisbury wept as the 52-year-old former St Margaret's CE Primary tutor and gymnastics coach was imprisoned at Chester Crown Court last Friday.

Salisbury, of Malpas Drive, had been convicted of three offences of sexual touching at an earlier trial. He was found not guilty of five similar allegations during the previous hearings at Warrington.

Judge Roger Dutton told Salisbury he must also sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years upon his eventual release from prison.

The court heard how St Margaret's head teacher Christopher Pegman had warned Salisbury about his behaviour toward young girls on at least one occasion before his arrest.

Defence counsel, Teresa Loftus, said her client had now come to recognise that this was advice he should have taken.

She acknowledged that the offences would be viewed seriously, as they involved a breach of trust, but they were at the "lower end of the sentencing spectrum".

The court also heard how the defendant's wife was in ill-health and would be hit hard by any prison sentence which was imposed on Salisbury.

Judge Dutton said: "It is quite clear that, over the many years you have been in teaching, you have displayed an attribute for teaching young children and instilling in them the standards that we expect to be handed to our youngsters.

"In my view, little can be more serious than the interference of a child on school premises by her own teacher."

The court heard that the first offence had involved touching a girl between her legs then touching and feeling her bottom, all in the presence of a classroom assistant.

The further two offences, involving another girl, had seen Salisbury touching the youngster when she came to the front to show him her work.

Judge Dutton added: "These children had loved you, and trusted you, and I have no doubt, in many ways, got a great deal from the wisdom that you were able to share with them.

"But no-one will really know what the true effects of what you did will be."

A parent of one of the girls said: "We are disgusted. He was a teacher and what he did was a huge breach of trust.

"It is wrong, with parole he will be out on the streets in six months, so what kind of message does that send out?

"He should have been handed a more significant sentence. Now we just want to move on and hope this hasn't affected the children."