A man whose wife ran a dance school in Menston and Horsforth has been jailed for 18 weeks for downloading more than 3,000 pornographic images of children.

Nicholas Lindop, 49, was also given a lifetime ban from attending theatre productions by Stagecoach Theatre Arts School or going into any stage school run by his wife, Anne Lindop.

Police questioned Nicholas Lindop in January after a tip-off and confiscated computers from his home in Moorland Walk, Moortown, Leeds, and his business, CAM Limited in Meanwood.

They found 3,238 images of boys and girls aged between eight and 15 , with 98 of these images on moving film. At a previous hearing, the father-of-two had pleaded guilty to a sample 20 offences and asked for a further 3,218 to be considered.

Alan Brook, chairman of the bench at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court, said yesterday: "We feel that there is no other appropriate way to deal with you because the photos downloaded were of children as young as eight years old and involved abuse and exploitation.

"The public perception of this is absolutely abhorrent and we would agree with that perception."

The magistrates imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, stopping Lindop from attending any theatre school or other premises in relation to Stagecoach Theatre Arts School.

The terms of the order prevent him downloading or viewing images of children under the age of 16 unless they are blood relatives, relatives by marriage or godchildren.

It also stops him entering any theatre school or other premises while in use in relation to the employment of Anne Lindop or any Stagecoach Performing Arts production.

Mitigating, Sabrina Hartshorn said: "The devastation the defendant had brought on his family is a punishment in itself and he cannot avoid that punishment and will have to live with it for the rest of his life."

Lindop's wife Anne was suspended from her position at the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School, which hires premises at St Mary's School, Menston as well as in Horsforth and Alwoodley, Leeds, after the company discovered the charges brought against her husband.

Stagecoach founder Stephanie Manuel had no comment on the sentence but stressed that she operated a strict child protection policy.