A former teacher who downloaded indecent images of children, and a man who brandished an imitation firearm and threatened to kill his neighbour are among those jailed in Suffolk this week.

1. Michael Higgins

Michael Higgins, 72, was jailed for the third time after downloading indecent images of children.

Higgins, of Raeburn Road, Ipswich, admitted six offences of making indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He was jailed for four years in 2005 for 17 offences of making and distributing indecent images of children and was jailed again in 2016 for 12 months for five offences of making indecent images of children, possessing a prohibited image of a child and two offences of possessing extreme pornography.

Recorder Graham Huston jailed him for 16 months and ordered that a sexual harm prevention order made in 2016 should continue.

He also ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register.

The court heard that in February last year Higgins contacted a public protection officer who had been assigned to him as a result of his previous convictions and confessed to breaching the 2016 sexual harm prevention order by deleting his browsing history and viewing “borderline” images.

He also admitted destroying devices that had indecent images on them.

Claire Hullock for Higgins said her client had confessed to breaching the terms of the sexual harm prevention order made in 2016.

He was released under investigation but in March this year, he was remanded in custody following an application by the prosecution.

Miss Hullock said Higgins had been a teacher all his life and was forced to leave the profession because of his convictions.

In 2005 when Higgins was jailed for four years Ipswich Crown Court heard that he had superimposed pupils’ faces on downloaded pornographic pictures.

The court was told Higgins, who was living in The Street, Wattisfield, had abused his position of trust as a teacher and unofficial photographer at Rosemary Musker High School, in Thetford, by making more than 15,000 indecent or pseudo images of 132 pupils between 1999 and January 2005.

2. Jamie Marchant

Jamie Marchant, 35, was jailed for five years and four months after he was caught with cocaine and cannabis in his car.

Marchant, of no fixed abode but from the Essex area, admitted possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession with intent to supply cannabis, driving with no licence and driving with no insurance at Ipswich Crown Court.

He was arrested on May 30 this year when police had reason to stop a vehicle on the A12 in the Copdock area near Ipswich.

A search of the vehicle, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, recovered a quantity of both cocaine and cannabis.

Investigations had also established that Marchant was responsible for drug dealing in the Norwich area.

3. Michael Jay

Michael Jay, 47, was jailed for four years after he terrified his neighbours by brandishing an imitation gun outside his home and threatening to kill a man.

Jay, of Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket admitted possessing an imitation firearm, namely an air rifle, with intent to cause fear of violence, having a knife, assaulting a police officer by spitting at him and possessing a small amount of cocaine.

One neighbour heard Jay shouting threats outside his home at 6.30am and saw him pointing what looked like a rifle in the air.

Another neighbour heard banging on his door and saw Jay holding a gun and saying: “Where is he? I’m going to kill him.”

The neighbour had grabbed the barrel end of the gun and pointed it upwards.

During the incident on March 22 this year Jay, who has a previous conviction for possessing a knife, had also been seen with a knife outside his home.

In addition to being jailed Jay was banned from going to Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket, and from contacting three of his former neighbours for five years.

Samantha Wright, prosecuting, said that following his arrest Jay had spat at a police officer.