THE “dark, dark secret” of former Wirral college lecturer led to his impeccable life ending in shame.

For while Glen McIver appeared to be an upstanding member of the community he was actually spending hours poring over disgusting child sexual abuse images and compiling a library of them.

He used chat rooms to communicate with like-minded perverts and even arranged for a Romanian girl, believed to be aged about 12, to send him indecent selfies of herself and one was even ringed round in flower petals with their names.

Jailing the 67-year-old white haired pensioner, Judge David Aubrey, QC, said that while it would be anticipated that McIver, who lectured in cultural studies at Wirral Met College, would have a library of books he also had a library of 5,714 indecent photos and movies of children.

He said that McIver had had a “dark, dark secret” and although he had served his community by serving as a councillor, school governor and college lecturer, the offences were so serious a jail sentence had to be imposed.

Judge Aubrey said that his behaviour included chatting to like-minded people. “Such were your perversions, such was your depravity.”

McIver, a divorcee, of Milton Road, Tranmere, had pleaded guilty to eight offences involving downloading, making and possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme porn between 2009 and March last year.

He was jailed for ten months and ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restricting his internet use, was imposed for the same length of time.

Phil Astbury, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that police raided McIver’s home on March 19 last year and seized two laptops, one of them in a suitcase, a desktop computer and more than 1,000 CD Roms.

Forensic experts found 5,714 indecent images though the court heard that not all the CD roms were examined.

The photographs and videos were in all three categories of seriousness including 650 photos and 282 movies in the most serious group. There were also 36 extreme porn images.

He had used peer-to-peer software to access images, had a programme which enabled him to capture images to make video copies and used chat rooms.

Twenty images of the same girl - 12 of them indecent - were found containing texts translated from Romanian and one with their names surrounding a heart.

He used used MSM to obtain them and also used Skype to contact others perverts.

John Weate, defending, said McIver had become isolated from his family and had personal issues but they were now standing by him, though did not condone what he had been doing. He has been seeking help since his arrest.

“He is thoroughly ashamed of himself. He had a very strong and professional career but has now retired from that.”

Judge Aubrey said that for many years McIvor had been held in high regard at the college and the court had received many testimonials on his behalf.

He had been described as “articulate, intelligent and well-educated.”

But for a considerable time he had been looking at child pornography “for your own sexual motivation and gratification.”

He continued: "From being an upstanding citizen well regarded within your community you have fallen from grace and now must receive an immediate custodial sentence.”