A PERVERT former judo teacher has admitted possessing more than 1,500 indecent images.

Clive Ambrose admitted four charges relating to images of children and one which involved a person performing a sex act on an animal at Colchester Magistrates' Court.

In total officers found ten category A images of children - deemed the most serious - 15 category B and 1,529 category C.

The 46-year-old also had one prohibited image of a child and one which reflected bestiality.

The charges all relate to the time period between September 2015 and July this year.

Catherine Houghton, prosecuting, said the offences were too serious to be dealt with at the lower court because of the presence of the category A images.

Magistrates transferred the case to Chelmsford Crown Court for sentencing early next year.

Before then a pre-sentence report on Ambrose, of Grantham Road, Great Horkesley, will be prepared by the probation service.

He has been bailed until his next court appearance with the conditions he has no unsupervised contact with children and does not participate in any judo activities or teach any judo sessions with anyone under the age of 18.

Ambrose is a former judo coach.

He had no previous convictions before admitting to these charges.

Chairman of the bench Elisabeth Connor said: "You have been committed for sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court because these offences are so serious you need greater punishment than this court can give.

"You have been granted conditional bail and must attend in January or you will be committing an offence.

"You are now automatically subject to notification requirements."