A man who covertly filmed ‘upskirt’ videos of school children has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Roshan Rai, a former trainee teacher from Folkestone, was convicted over a string of sexual offences, which also included inciting a child to send him indecent images.

The alarm was initially raised during February 2017, when police were made aware of concerns that an 11-year-old child was being encouraged to post nude images of herself online.

The person asking for images claimed he was a 14-year-old boy from London, but it was in fact 27-year-old Rai, of Firs Lane.

When officers from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team searched his home they seized a computer, which was found to contain thousands of indecent images and videos, downloaded from the internet. Some were in the most serious category.

A forensic examination of a mobile phone belonging to Rai revealed further images, including screenshots from social media sites of children with whom he had made contact.

A storage device seized from Rai’s bedroom was also examined, from which ‘upskirt’ videos were recovered, which he had taken of unsuspecting school children.

There were also a number of videos which appeared to have been taken covertly inside a communal changing area of a swimming pool. These showed children as young as three changing into their swimming costumes.

'Roshan Rai was responsible for a catalogue of invasive and vile offences' - DC Darran Bassett

In August Rai pleaded guilty to three counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, along with a charge of causing a child to watch a sexual act, a charge of outraging public decency - by taking 'upskirt' pictures of children - and a charge of voyeurism.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent images of children.

Yesterday, he was sentenced to four years and two months imprisonment.

Detective Constable Darran Bassett said: "Roshan Rai was responsible for a catalogue of invasive and vile offences.

"He has repeatedly targeted young children, through a number of ways, using the internet or covertly filming them in various places. These are very serious offences and the sentence he has received reflects the many victims who were also completely aware of his appalling intentions."