The former deputy head teacher of a school Prince George attended has been jailed for paying teenagers to sexually abuse children in India. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich, will will 12 years behind bars after investigators found he had spent £65,000 for abuse material on the dark web.
The court heard that Smith was online at the time of his arrest in November last year. The 35-year-old was speaking to a teenage boy living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child, in return for money.
He also had dark web sites and forums open on his computer which were dedicated to child sexual abuse. National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators looked through chat logs and financial transactions and were able to establish that Smith had paid that same teenager, and another also based in India, a total of £65,398 to abuse children over a five-year period.
In total officers recovered more than 120,000 indecent images of children which Smith had saved on his laptop.
The chat logs showed that Smith would instruct the young men to perform sexual acts on boys and would send them images and videos as examples of ones he would like to receive in return. He also gave one of them advice on how befriend children and build their trust with a view to abusing them.
Smith was living in Nepal and working at a school for the majority of this time. Prior to this, he spent various periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007-2014.
Investigators found evidence of potential offending by Smith against children while he was working in India. The NCA shared information with the Indian authorities and continues to work with them in order to identify and safeguard victims.
He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomas's Battersea in September, where he was a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care. That summer, Smith posted an online advert looking to secure a flat share, in which he said he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare.
He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer. There is no evidence to suggest he committed offences against children based in Nepal or the UK.
Smith pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child. He was sentenced today (Wednesday, August 9) at Southwark Crown Court to 12 years in prison. He is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the National Crime Agency, said: “Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, who coerced young men into abusing children on his behalf. He constantly sought out opportunities to gain access to children, but was adept at hiding his sexual interest in them. He conducted his offending while working as a teacher and head of pastoral care – a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him.
“It’s clear Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He presents a very real and significant risk to children, but this investigation has ensured he will spend a long time in prison. The NCA is committed to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice.”
Don't miss out on the latest crime stories from across London. Sign up to MyLondon's Court & Crime newsletter HERE.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
