The head teacher of a Pembrokeshire primary school who sexually abused young girls has been jailed for two years today.

Family, friends and colleagues of David Bryan Thorley, aged 56, said an appeal against his conviction would be lodged within 72 hours.

Thorley, of Bryn Heulog, Heol Penlanffos, Carmarthen, was convicted after a trial at Swansea crown court of nine offences of sexually assaulting four young girls.

He was cleared of two similar charges. Thorley was found guilty of sexually assaulting a girl he took to the toilets at Withybush hospital, Haverfordwest, on three separate occasions.

He was also convicted of abusing the daughters of a family friend he took swimming under the pretext of applying talcum powder to their bodies.

Thorley appeared before Judge Michael Burr today for sentencing.

In addition to the prison term he was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender and banned from working with children- both for life.

His barrister, Marian Lewis, said the offences had been "opportunistic" and not premeditated, and should be viewed as being at the lowest end of the scale.

She described Thorley's conviction as "catastrophic" for both him and his family. His career and reputation were in ruins.

Judge Burr said the jury had found that Thorley had been satisfying his own sexual desires when he applied medicinal cream to the bodies of young pupils.

He said even a single such case deserved a two year sentence, according to sentencing guidelines, and jailing Thorley for that period of time for nine offences was the minimum he could do.

Judge Burr said he had taken into account the dozens of letters written in support of Thorley.

After the sentencing, Anne Hovey, the National Association of Headteachers'officer for Wales, said an appeal against conviction "on multiple grounds" would be lodged on Monday morning.

She also said that new advice would be issued to all senior teachers in time for the new term start in September. They would be warned of the dangers of exposing themselves to allegation and suspicion.

Although school children remained their number one priority, staff also had to consider themselves. She said that, over the years, physical contact between staff and young children had grown less and less. And the conviction of Thorley would push staff even further away from children, she added.

Thorley's wife Anne, aged 55, who is a head teacher in Carmarthen, said she and everyone she knew continued to believe in his innocence.

"It has caused us a great deal of grief and stress but however much longer it takes we will maintain and prove his innocence.

"His family and his colleagues stick by him one hundred per cent. We will maintain his innocence through the Court of Appeal.

"I think it puts the whole teaching profession in jeopardy. All correct procedures were followed and other adults were there. Staff remain incredibly vulnerable," she added.

A teacher at Thorley's school said he had simply "cared for the pupils too much." She said she could not believe how much pressure her male colleagues would now be under.

The jury had heard how Thorley had "an unhealthy interest" in young girls and that he had abused his position to sexually assault them.

The court heard how Thorley had risen to the top of his profession and had been appointed a lead inspector of schools by Estyn, the government's schools inspection body.

During his trial he described his prosection as "devastating." He told the jury, "It's a tragedy. It's broken our hearts."