BANGOR, Maine (AP) – A federal judge has sentenced a former Holden middle school teacher to 21 months in prison for downloading child pornography onto a school computer.

Gerald Bailey of Bucksport told U.S. District Judge John Woodcock on Monday that he regrets the damage he caused to his friends and family as well as to his colleagues and pupils at Holbrook Middle School.

“I have hurt the reputation of my profession,” Bailey said. “For the first time in my life, I have to accept the fact that there is little I can do to repair the damage that I’ve caused.”

Bailey, 55, was indicted in November and pleaded guilty two months later. He had been held at the Penobscot County Jail while awaiting sentencing.

Bailey began viewing pornography on the Internet in the late 1990s when he was asked to teach a health and human sexuality class, according to a psychologist’s report. He was unable to answer his pupils’ questions and relied on the Internet for research.