A former teacher let off for having more than 7,000 indecent pictures of children was yesterday also removed from the sex offenders' register.

Phillip Carmichael had been given an absolute discharge — which means he received no punishment at all — despite being caught with thousands of pornographic images of youngsters.

The sentence by Judge Mary Jane Mowat caused an outcry, although she had ruled Carmichael would have to be on the sex offenders' register for five years.

But yesterday Judge Mowat admitted even that was wrong because of an anomaly in the law so she took him off the register.

It means Carmichael — a former Wantage County Primary School teacher — will not have to tell police where he is living or be under any other restrictions.

Carmichael blamed his downloading on the drugs he was taking for Parkinson's disease, saying it led to uncontrollable sexual urges.

He admitted seven counts of making indecent images and four of possessing indecent images.

At Reading Crown Court yesterday, Barnaby Shaw, defending, cited the case of Longworth in 2006, in which the House of Lords said there was no power to put defendants given conditional or absolute discharges for these offences on the register.

Judge Mowat said: "In these circumstances, he is not required to be on the sex offenders' register."

Explaining her decision, she added: "These were not registrable offences."

Mr Shaw told the court that the public protection authority had already been in touch with his client and told him he did not need to be on the register.

Henry James, prosecuting, made no objection to the defence application.

Previously, at Oxford Crown Court, Mr James said that Carmichael had been downloading indecent images from a website and had even contacted the site owners complaining about the quality of the photos.

He added: "An email complaining about the quality of material he was receiving from them was found on one of the computers."

Roger Harrison, defending, said his client had no culpability because the drug he was taking caused him to act the way he did.

He said: "It is a tragic case. He had a 27-year teaching career, which was impeccable in every way. He served the community and had the respect and responsibility of people of a range of ages."

Mr Harrison said his client, of Adkin Way, Wantage, suffered from Parkinson's disease and Graves' disease, and was prescribed the drug to relieve his symptoms.

Judge Mowat said that his case was "wholly exceptional" because it was clear that the pills he was taking had caused his hypersexuality.

The Crown Prosecution Service did not consider launching an appeal against Judge Mowat's absolute discharge, because of the particular charges Carmichael faced.