A Bradford councillor has revealed his amazement after a disgraced teacher was deemed fit to return to the classroom despite possessing and downloading indecent images of children.

Councillor Ralph Berry’s comments came as a spokesman from the Department for Education (DfE) said it might use the case of Geoffrey Bettley as a precedent to help toughen up the vetting process in future.

The spokesman was unsure whether a review would affect the Bettley decision or not, but added that his matter “would probably not get overturned”.

Bettley, 36, was dismissed from his ten-year career at St Mary’s Catholic School in Menston after he accepted a police caution for the offences. A total of 189 indecent images were found on his computer.

But the DfE sparked furious reaction when it deemed the married RE teacher should be able to resume his teaching career. That view was backed by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

But Coun Berry (Lab, Wibsey), who is portfolio holder for Children and Young People’s Services at Bradford Council, said: “I am amazed that this is the decision they have taken. It is jawdropping.

“He had 46 images at grade three level. He may not have viewed them, but he had gone to the bother of downloading them.

“He is complicit in the creation of the abuse that goes on.

“The key issue for me is to maintain the public trust and confidence in the service we are delivering. It seems to me that the remit has been strayed from. We have to decide as a society what value we place on protecting our children. As a parent I would not be happy.

“Teachers hold a responsible position that has implications on what you can do and cannot do in your private life.”

Coun Berry continued: “I realise there are questions around rehabilitation and stuff, but this guy is going to have to find another way of earning a living. I remain to be convinced about rehabilitation for this sort of thing.”

Regarding the Bettley decision, a DfE spokesman said: “We keep the process under review because of legal complexities and we are examining whether this case was handled correctly.”

Bettley was suspended from St Mary’s in December, 2010, after police found the child abuse images on his computer.

He accepted a police caution and was dismissed by the school following a disciplinary hearing in December, 2011.

But a professional conduct panel ruled that the RE teacher should be allowed to return to teaching after concluding he “does not represent a risk to children and young people”.

In its judgment, the National College of Teaching and Leadership professional conduct panel said the images viewed by Mr Bettley were “not at the most serious end” of the Copine scale – the rating system used to categorise the severity of images of child sex abuse – and there were “relatively few” on his computer.

His behaviour did not show a “deep-seated attitude which leads to harmful behaviour”, it ruled.

“Mr Bettley, does not, in the view of the panel, represent a risk to children and young people,” the panel said.

Mr Gove said: “Although the findings in this case are serious ones, for the reasons set out, I support the recommendation of the panel that a prohibition order should not be applied in this case.”

In the judgment, the panel said Mr Bettley’s conduct had brought his profession “into disrepute” but acknowledged the Independent Safeguarding Authority had since removed his name from the Children's Barred List and the Adult’s Barred List.

A report from Leeds Children and Young People’s Social Care in September, 2011, had also concluded Bettley posed little risk, the panel added.