A paedophile teacher due to be extradited to the Netherlands for importing child pornography has committed suicide.

Keith Hudson, 54, was due to fly to serve five months in a Dutch prison but did not turn up to Heathrow Airport.

Hudson, who ran private tuition company Sussex Learning Centre, had been granted bail on stringent conditions including the payment of a £10,000 security to City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London.

A hearing to order the forfeiture of the money was arranged for today.

But Amelia Nice, for the Dutch authorities, told the court: "He failed to report to Heathrow. It has since been brought to our attention that apparently he has died.

"Apparently he committed suicide."

Hudson, of Willowmead, Crowborough, has previous convictions in the UK for similar offences, had signed on as a sex offender for four years and been banned from working with boys.

He was found guilty of five counts of moving and concealing indecent material at Croydon Crown Court, following an operation by Dover customs officers in 1998.

A Care Standards Tribunal had heard he was not a risk to girls and limited the court's earlier ban on teaching all children.

Education bosses at East Sussex County Council issued a warning to all schools in the area after the discovery that he was touting for business.

Then in 2002 he was found guilty of importing and stocking indecent images of boys in the Netherlands between April and December 1999.

However he was not in court for his sentence and a bid for his extradition from this country was later launched.

The disgraced tutor was arrested by Sussex and Met detectives at his home last month.

He lost his fight against his return and a Westminster judge ordered his extradition on December 27 last year.

Hudson was trusted to turn up to Heathrow on January 11 on stringent bail conditions including residence at his home address, daily reporting to police, and to have no contact with any person under 18.

On hearing the report of his death District Judge Quentin Purdy said he required confirmation from a police officer and adjourned the hearing to February 6.

The judge said if he has died the £10,000 would be returned.