Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London with her brother Prince George and her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on September 5, 2019 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London with her brother Prince George and her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on September 5, 2019 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
Warning: This article contains details some people may find disturbing.
The former deputy head of Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s primary school has been jailed for 12 years.
Matthew Smith, 35, was appointed a senior leader at the young royal’s first primary school, Thomas’s Preparatory School Battersea, last September. However, a shocking court case against the man has found the teacher guilty of child abuse, among other crimes.
The Daily Mail has reported Smith was accused by the National Crime Agency of offering a teenage boy in India £65,398 (NZ$137,284) to abuse children and send him footage of the attacks, which took place over a five-year period.
Matthew Smith, the former deputy head teacher of a primary school previously attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, has been charged with 17 more child sex offences.https://t.co/Rej6cfgPo9
During what was a disturbing trial at times at Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard an investigation into the former teacher found more than 120,000 indecent images of children – 10,000 of which were in the most serious category - on his laptop, cellphone and an SD card.
Investigators also revealed Smith had accessed the dark web and taken part in forums that were dedicated to child sexual abuse. The offending of this nature reportedly took place between 2017 and 2022, and saw suspected sexual abuse of children living in India, who were as young as 7 years old.
The UK news outlet reported the former teacher admitted to 17 counts during the trial. Among them were three of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, three of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and arranging the sexual abuse of a child.
Prior to the trial, Smith also confessed to causing or inciting sexual abuse of a child under 13 and distributing indecent images of children.
It is understood none of Matthew Smith's offending took place while he was employed by the prestigious school, once attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Photo / Getty Images
He has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, with Judge Martin Griffith stating during the sentencing that he is a “significant risk”.
“I consider there is a significant risk of serious harm occasioned to members of the public by the commission of further offences by you.” Griffith said.
The UK news outlet has reported none of the charges relates to his time at the prestigious Thomas’s Preparatory School Battersea and there is no evidence he committed his crimes in the UK at all.
Prior to his role in the UK, Smith was the assistant head teacher at The British School Kathmandu in Nepal for five years.
He also taught at St Paul’s School, and has degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge.
Helen Dore, a senior officer at the National Crime Agency, said: “Child sexual abuse committed online and across borders is a substantial threat to the UK, and it’s one the NCA is committed to tackling.”
“We are dedicated to pursuing the most dangerous offenders and to protecting any child who may be at risk, in the UK and across the globe.”
Where to get help:
If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact safetotalk.nz confidentially, any time, 24/7.
