Nursery worker Alexander Mortimer jailed for sex crimes Published duration 13 July 2012

image caption Mortimer was convicted of abusing the children, who were aged between two and three

A nursery worker has been jailed for eight years for a series of sexual offences against young boys.

Alexander Mortimer, 28, had admitted charges of assaulting the boys, taking indecent photographs of children, and possessing indecent images.

Mortimer, who lived in Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, worked at a childcare facility in Lanarkshire.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lady Stacey told him his actions were a "gross breach of trust".

Mortimer filmed and photographed the abuse he carried out, and was found to have 17,967 indecent images and 582 videos on his computer.

Some of the images were categorised as "level five", which are considered the most depraved.

When his home was searched by police officers, Mortimer claimed he had been researching child abuse for a college course.

Lady Stacey imposed an extended sentence on Mortimer, which means he will be supervised for a further seven years when he is released from jail.

She said he was "clearly a danger to children" and placed him on the sex offenders register.