A DISGRACED teacher from Wordsley caught with nearly 100,000 sickening child porn pictures is hoping taxpayers will fund his defence.

Matthew Bullas, who taught at Dudley's Castle High School, has made a number of applications for legal aid to assist his defence but they have so far been rejected.

His barrister, Ruth Edwards, told Wolverhampton Crown Court the 32-year-old appealed against the last refusal on the grounds of great hardship and aid was required because a psychological report was necessary.

She added the report would cost £1,800 and neither Bullas or his family had the funding available to meet the bill.

Miss Edwards said they would be getting the results of the final appeal sometime in the next seven days adding: "If it is not granted we will have to decide what to do."

Bullas, who was a PE teacher, downloaded indecent images of children from the internet and they were found after police seized his computer equipment.

He pleaded guilty to nine charges of possessing indecent images and video images when he appeared before Dudley Magistrates in May.

The teacher was immediately suspended and then sacked from the St James' Road school but sentence will not be passed in his case until a final decision has been made on his application for legal aid.

The court had been told Bullas had 98,266 indecent images of children at level one, 269 at level two, 67 at level three and 195 at level four.

He also had 76 indecent moving images at level one, five at level two, five at level three, five at level four and a further five at level five - the worst possible category.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told Bullas, of Hamilton Close - he is currently on bail - he would adjourn the case until Friday August 31 adding: "We will get a further update on the legal aid situation."