A FORMER Essex secondary school teacher who abducted two children and took them to Africa has been warned that he could face a prison sentence.

A FORMER Essex secondary school teacher who abducted two children and took them to Africa has been warned that he could face a prison sentence.

Emmanuel Forston, formerly of Harwich, was due to stand trial at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday after denying two offences of child abduction in October last year.

However after discussions with his barrister Nneka Akudolu, Forston changed his pleas to guilty on both charges.

Adjourning sentence until the week commencing July 20 for a pre-sentence report Judge David Goodin described the offences committed by 46-year-old Forston as serious.

He said that all sentencing options including custody or a suspended prison sentence would be open to the court when he returned next month.

Forston, who now lives in Colchester, was formerly a maths teacher at Harwich School.