• Matthew Smith, 35, was deputy head at Thomas’s Preparatory School, Battersea
• Smith beforehand labored in orphanages throughout India between 2007 and 2014
• He supplied to pay a teen £65,398 to abuse kids and to ship him footage

A former deputy head of Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s first major faculty has been jailed for 12 years after he paid a teen to abuse kids in India and ship him footage of the assaults.

Matthew Smith, 35, was appointed as deputy head of pastoral care at Thomas’s Preparatory School in Battersea in September final yr.

He labored in orphanages and non-governmental organisations throughout India between 2007 and 2014 earlier than taking a instructing job at a faculty in Nepal.

National Crime Agency investigators discovered Smith supplied a teenage boy in India £65,398 to abuse kids over a five-year interval and requested him to ship him footage of the assaults.

Smith additionally accessed darkish websites and boards devoted to little one sexual abuse.

He moved again to the UK in July 2022 and commenced working on the south London faculty the place he was a deputy head instructor and head of pastoral care earlier than his arrest in November.

Officers discovered greater than 120,000 indecent pictures of kids on his laptop computer, SD card and on his telephone.

Smith used the encrypted app Telegram to obtain and share sexual pictures and movies of kids, Southwark Crown Court heard.

None of the offences associated to kids on the prestigious faculty, which prices upwards of £20,000 per yr.

Smith, of East Dulwich, southeast London, admitted 17 counts, together with three of encouraging the rape of a kid below 13, three of inflicting a baby below 13 to have interaction in sexual exercise and arranging the sexual abuse of a kid.

He additionally admitted three counts of constructing indecent pictures – in relation to greater than 120,000 pictures, together with greater than 10,000 of probably the most critical class.

The expenses associated to the suspected sexual abuse of kids as younger as seven in India by way of the web between 2017 and 2022.

Last November he admitted inflicting or inciting the sexual abuse of a kid below 13, distributing indecent pictures of kids and three counts of constructing IIOC in classes A-C.

Judge Martin Griffith jailed Smith for 12 years and instructed him: ‘I consider there is a significant risk of serious harm occasioned to members of the public by the commission of further offences by you.’

Earlier Martin Hooper, prosecuting, stated: ‘He was a teacher in Nepal prior to that [Thomas’s Prep] in 2017 to 2022.

‘He began volunteering from 2007 onwards with children aged between two to 15 years old.

‘There is a relevance to that, as some material showed exploitation of at least one child from that orphanage.

‘On 6 November 2022, police executed a warrant at the defendant’s house in east Dulwich. The defendant was there utilizing a pc.

‘They seized a number of electronic devices, most importantly a black Dell laptop.

‘On the black Dell laptop a number of tabs were open which involved indecent images of children. Also Telegram, an encrypted messaging application that police were able to examine.’

During police interview, Smith stated: ‘Clearly I have an addiction, probably in this area. I do not like the person I am, I would give anything to be normal – anything.’

Mr Hooper added: ‘Asking if there was any relevance to his employment history, in his current employment he was quite emphatic no, but other schools he had been involved in he didn’t reply.

‘After police fully downloaded and obtained the material this case involves, they found the defendant was soliciting indecent images of children, both still and moving, and the physical exploitation of children.

‘He was asking in the course of the chat for sexual activity to be performed on those children, including penetrative activity.

‘It included children on children, and children on adults. That was recorded and sent to him.’

In one occasion Smith had requested an older brother to carry out and movie sexual acts on his 10-year-old brother.

‘The defendant would send money in payment for that to happen. He wrote: “Tell your brother it’s a present in trade for many pictures and movies”.

‘The defendant transferred just under £7,500 for those acts to be performed and recorded.’

Smith additionally stated he would pay kids’s faculty charges in return for sexual pictures and movies.

‘In total seen on the defendant’s black Dell laptop computer have been a really giant variety of pictures.’

This included 11,000 Category A pictures, over 16,000 Category B and 93,000 Category C pictures. In addition, over 2000 prohibited pictures have been discovered.

‘These were pseudo images, either cartoon or CGI-type images. One extreme pornographic image involved a 10-year-old boy having oral sex with a dog, a live animal.’

Mr Hooper added: ‘The harm is extreme and it involves penetration. There’s planning. There’s grooming. Images have been stored and there’s a business ingredient to it.

‘We say the intended harm was extreme. There was planning, grooming and isolation of the victims as well.’

Sarah Vine, defending, stated: ‘He has written personally to every single member of his close family and friends, to explain to them exactly what has happened.

‘To express that he does not expect so much as a response, but to apologise to them for the distress that this news may well have caused them.

‘Mr Smith is prepared to accept his offending and he very much understands his life over the next substantial period to be within prison.’

A spokesperson for the college stated: ‘We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account.

‘Mr Smith’s employment on the faculty, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with speedy impact when the college first realized of the costs towards him in November.

‘While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them.

‘As always, we remain absolutely committed to the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our pupils and our whole school community.’

Helen Dore, Senior Officer of the National Crime Agency, stated: ‘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 completely no empathy for his victims and the hurt he has brought about them. He presents a really actual and important threat to kids, however this investigation has ensured he’ll spend a very long time in jail.

‘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.”

Earlier she said: ‘While conducting his offending, Smith worked at a school in Nepal, then became a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care in the UK, so his offending is a deep betrayal of the trust placed in him.

‘The NCA is dedicated to operating online and overseas, working with global partners to ensure that children are safeguarded and offenders like Smith are brought to justice.’

Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor within the CPS’ Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, stated: ‘Matthew Smith’s crimes are significantly disturbing given his function as a major faculty instructor entrusted with the duty of caring for and safeguarding kids.

‘Thousands of images and videos were recovered from his devices which showed an appalling catalogue of sexual abuse being perpetrated on children.

‘Smith offered individuals payments for indecent images to gratify his own sexual desires, which resulted in the horrifying abuse of young children in India.

‘This conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the NCA and international partners, will work to bring to justice to those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.’

Smith was jailed for 12 years and he’s additionally topic to an indefinite sexual hurt prevention order. He was additionally positioned on the intercourse offenders’ register for all times.