This is Exeter -- A music teacher has been jailed for having oral sex with a 16-year-old pupil in his locked office at a Devon school. Paul Smith, 40, was head of the music department at the school in Devon. He locked the door of his office to make sure they were not disturbed and later sent her a letter which he urged her to destroy. Smith started the sexual contact with kissing and cuddling but moved on to more serious activities and kept in contact with the girl online. The uncovering of the sexual activity led to Smith resigning the next day and his wife leaving him as soon as she learned what he had done. Divorced father Smith, of Bourne Avenue, Southgate, London, admitted four offences of sexual activity with a person under 18 while in abuse of a position of trust. All the allegations relate to April 1, 2012 to July 1, 2012, when he was working at a secondary school in Devon. He was jailed for a total of 20 months, disqualified from teaching, and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for ten years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC. The judge told him:""These were serious offences. You were the head of music and aged 39 and the girl was aged 16 and a half and to whom you were in a position of trust. "I also bear in mind the degree of damage to the victim which was entirely predictable which is why the law provides for punishment to protect such girls. "You must bear the full responsibility for what happened, whether or not she consented. It is the abuse of trust which is the serious element of this offence." Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said police went to the college in February 2013, by which time the girl was 17 and she revealed how she had sexual activity with Smith in his office during the previous summer term. Smith was seen the same afternoon and admitted that offences happened on four occasions and progressed from kissing and fondling to oral sex. They remained in contact online and he sent her a letter saying he wanted to go back to a simple friendship but added: "It is probably best for both of us if you burn this letter." Mr Bremridge said the victim had hand written a statement setting out the effect on her. He said: "She described having lost a lot of confidence and not wanting to go to college because of gossip. "Her grades have suffered and she has had difficulty sleeping and is now planning to start counselling." Adrian Waterman, QC, defending, said the case had left Smith without a marriage, a home or a career. He said: "This was an aberration. The moment he revealed what had happened his wife divorced him and has changed the surnames of their children. He has handed over his interest in the family house. "The enormous impact on him and the punishment meted out by the facts of them case themselves must be borne in mind. Whatever madness descended on him means his career is not just damaged, it is over forever. "These offences were not something he planned or wanted consciously to happen. It just happened. It was distorted thinking rather than abuse. There he was in this madness and there she was coming to his room. It was he who stopped the activity."
Reported by This is 4 hours ago.
This is Exeter -- A music teacher has been jailed for having oral sex with a 16-year-old pupil in his locked office at a Devon school. Paul Smith, 40, was head of the music department at the school in Devon. He locked the door of his office to make sure they were not disturbed and later sent her a letter which he urged her to destroy. Smith started the sexual contact with kissing and cuddling but moved on to more serious activities and kept in contact with the girl online. The uncovering of the sexual activity led to Smith resigning the next day and his wife leaving him as soon as she learned what he had done. Divorced father Smith, of Bourne Avenue, Southgate, London, admitted four offences of sexual activity with a person under 18 while in abuse of a position of trust. All the allegations relate to April 1, 2012 to July 1, 2012, when he was working at a secondary school in Devon. He was jailed for a total of 20 months, disqualified from teaching, and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for ten years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC. The judge told him:""These were serious offences. You were the head of music and aged 39 and the girl was aged 16 and a half and to whom you were in a position of trust. "I also bear in mind the degree of damage to the victim which was entirely predictable which is why the law provides for punishment to protect such girls. "You must bear the full responsibility for what happened, whether or not she consented. It is the abuse of trust which is the serious element of this offence." Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said police went to the college in February 2013, by which time the girl was 17 and she revealed how she had sexual activity with Smith in his office during the previous summer term. Smith was seen the same afternoon and admitted that offences happened on four occasions and progressed from kissing and fondling to oral sex. They remained in contact online and he sent her a letter saying he wanted to go back to a simple friendship but added: "It is probably best for both of us if you burn this letter." Mr Bremridge said the victim had hand written a statement setting out the effect on her. He said: "She described having lost a lot of confidence and not wanting to go to college because of gossip. "Her grades have suffered and she has had difficulty sleeping and is now planning to start counselling." Adrian Waterman, QC, defending, said the case had left Smith without a marriage, a home or a career. He said: "This was an aberration. The moment he revealed what had happened his wife divorced him and has changed the surnames of their children. He has handed over his interest in the family house. "The enormous impact on him and the punishment meted out by the facts of them case themselves must be borne in mind. Whatever madness descended on him means his career is not just damaged, it is over forever. "These offences were not something he planned or wanted consciously to happen. It just happened. It was distorted thinking rather than abuse. There he was in this madness and there she was coming to his room. It was he who stopped the activity."
Reported by This is 4 hours ago.