Teachers and school staff who betrayed the trust of parents and children and ended up in the dock – Liverpool Echo, Google News
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Teachers and school staff who have abused and exploited their position of trust continue to shock ECHO readers.
In recent years, a range of horrific cases have been brought before the courts involving teachers and assistants who have committed sickening crimes.
From a head teacher who was caught with a disturbing collection of child sex abuse images to a teacher who faked having terminal cancer to pocket thousands in charity cash, readers have been left horrified.
These men and women have not only betrayed the trust of parents and guardians but their actions will have a serious and lasting impact on the children involved.
Here are 26 teachers and school staff who have ended up in the dock in recent times.
He had even used pictures of a young girl he had abused to win status with up to (internet perverts.
The dad-of-two was released in March, 2016, but was soon using seedy chat rooms again.
In April he was jailed for a further four years for distributing indecent images at which time the court heard that he was “ addicted ”to them.
(On October) , , Pearson was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court.
The – year-old was arrested after police raided his flat on The Promenade, Southport , on September last year armed with a search warrant.
Robert Pearson, from Southport, in South Sefton Magistrates Court (Image: Liverpool Echo)
He denied having any indecent images of children but his laptop and tower computer were seized and forensically examined, said Simon Duncan, prosecuting.
Analysis of the equipment only revealed a total of 37 images including seven in the most serious category, one of them a video but he was found to have installed a special application which allows images to be deleted without trace of their removal.
Pearson was the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order at the time which banned him using such applications.
He had also installed Zoom software on his computer allowing him to participate in video conferences to discuss child abuse with other paedophiles and swap images.
The pervert pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images, one of possessing them and breaching the SOPO.
Pearson was handed a two and a half year prison sentence
.
He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Charles Ellis, , of Oakfield Drive, Upton in Chester, was convicted of ten offences of sexually assaulting six girls, who were just eight and nine-years-old at the time.
Charles Ellis
used his job as a primary school teacher to sexually abuse six girls aged eight and nine.
When one victim of Charles Ellis came forward to police in , no prosecution was brought against him.
Instead he was given training about how to not touch children inappropriately at the Wirral school where he worked.
But his sickening abuse carried on for another three years.
The 200 – year-old of Oakfield Drive, Upton, was convicted of offences against six girls after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in November, during which he denied all the allegations.
In November , Liverpool Crown Court heard how Ellis, who was aged at the time, would put his hand on the girls’ backs under their clothes, touch their bottoms under and over their clothes and Touch their legs.
With two of the girls, when they said they were unwell, Ellis used the pretext of seeing where the pain was to inappropriately touch them.
Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, told how Ellis had been employed at the school, which the ECHO has chosen not to name, since )
The offences spanned over eight years.
Ms Kenny claimed that Ellis was “motivated by sexual gratification” and “abused his position of trust ”Before more victims and a member of staff came forward to complain.
After his behavior was reported by one of the victims, the police again became involved and revisited the earlier report about his behavior.
A member of staff had also twice reported feeling uncomfortable about his touching some of the girl pupils.
He was suspended by the school in April
Ellis was jaile d for three years.
He was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
groomed a vulnerable school boy and arranged to meet him in a hotel room for sex.
In September , teaching assistant Beattie-Milligan, , of Kingsley Close, (Lydiate , was found guilty of arranging to meet a child following sexual grooming.
The married mum-of-two, who had worked in education for years, intended to spend a Saturday night alone with her victim, who suffered from anxiety issues, in Haydock.
A jury heard her texts to a friend about buying sexy underwear and giving him a lap dance, ahead of “major f ing”.
She befriended the student, changed the way she dressed to catch his attention, and they exchanged mobile phone numbers.
Carlo Troiano, from Wirral, moved to Spain for a new teaching job (Image: Facebook)
(Carlo Troiano) (groomed a) – – year-old girl in his class and told her “You are like my own Barbie.”
Troiano, 51, from Heswall, Wirral, first stood trial in January where he was accused of asking a schoolgirl to perform sex acts on him.
He was found not guilty of (three charges of causing or enticing sexual activity with a – year-old pupil in a classroom at Bankfield High School in Widnes, Cheshire.
But the dad-of-two, now divorced from his ex-wife, was still dismissed from his job by governors at the school, which shut in .
Troiano was cleared by a jury after a four-day trial at Warrington Crown Court, who ruled after listening to the evidence that they did not believe the girl had been telling the truth.
Troiano then moved abroad and took a job at the prestigious St George’s British School of Almeria in the Spanish holiday resort of Roquetas de Mar.
He abused his position as a girl’s teacher at the school in Spain, to commit “continued sexual abuse.”
His two-day trial for sexually abusing a minor started on October 1, 10918398, at Almeria’s Provincial Court and finished the following day.
They ruled the victim, who was when Troiano began to seduce her, after being hired in August , was sexually abused over a six- month period.
It started in May 181019 and only ended when her mum reported him to police.
The victim told the court he groomed her by favoring her in class, liking her Instagram photos. and persuading her to get a tattoo done.
She said she was in her school uniform when he offered her alcohol before kissing her for the first time.
She told the three trial judges Troiano had pressured her into continuing to see him by insisting he would quit his job and leave her class without a teacher when she told him he was “ wasting his time ”with her.
The victim also revealed she discovered he had filmed them having sex without her consent after finding the video on his email account.
Troiano was jailed for and a half years in October
He was banned from the classroom for the same time period and ordered to pay his victim € , 16 (£ , 436).
Keera Brayford of Cedar Road, Whiston (Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)
(Keera Brayford faked having terminal cancer in order to pocket thousands in charity cash.
Teacher Brayford, of Cedar Road, Whiston duped her family and friends by claiming she had three types of tumors which were growing and likely to kill her.
The – year-old managed to fleece kind-hearted document who were convinced she was terminally ill as she described undergoing aggressive chemotherapy.
In total, Brayford conned her way to just over £ 40, , a Proceeds of Crime application heard.
But she only had £ , still available which a judge at Liverpool Crown Court told her in February , to pay back. ()
Keera Brayford outside Liverpool Crown Court.
(Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)
That sum has been been deemed already paid because it remained in the JustGiving online account, untouched.
That was intended to be transferred back to some of the people who promised her money.
Brayford was allowed to walk free from court in November 10918361, after a judge described her behavior as “despicable” but suspended her prison sentence, meaning she was placed on a curfew and an electronic tag.
Brayford made Google searches on “how to defraud an employer” as part of her scam.
Charity fundraising efforts were organized to help her, and one man even planned to jump out of a plane to raise more money f or her.
Some of the cash was used to pay off her credit card bills, the court heard.
After months of deceit, Brayford was finally caught and arrested by police, leaving those who knew her astonished by her dishonesty.
She was eventually caught out by staff at the Thomas Sutton Academy in St Helens who suspected she was faking some medical notes.
Brayford was charged with fraud by representation and pleaded guilty to all the offences.
She was spared jail and was ordered to pay back £ 18, Lee Gallagher
Lee Gallagher, from Halewood, sent disgusting online messages to someone he understood to be a teenage girl
(Image: handout)
Lee Gallagher , who sent disgusting images to someone he thought was a 26 – year-old girl, walked free from court.
Pervert Gallagher, of Maldon Close in Halewood, was teaching in Spain when he starting sending obscene pictures and messages on Facebook to a teenage girl called Jessie.
But Jessie did not exist and had been created by Dark Justice, an online group set up to target paedophiles.
Gallagher, , who had created a Facebook account in the name of a fictional Steve Jones, sent disgusting messages to Jessie which led Dark Justice to tip off (police .)
Gallagher was arrested when he flew into Manchester Airport from Spain in May
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When police searched his mobile phone they found indecent images of a child.
In February 181019, barrister Kate Gaskell, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Gallagher sent pictures of his penis to Jessie, and asked her to perform a sex act.
Gallagher also sent Jessie a video of him performing a sex act.
Gallagher pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a female under 26 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, encouraging a child to watch images of a sexu al nature and possessing an indecent image of a child.
He was ordered to complete hours of community service and sign the sex offenders register.
He must also comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to pay costs.
Speaking outside court Gallagher said to the ECHO: “I am very sorry for what I have done.”
Lee Francis Dixon
Lee Francis Dixon
(Image: Steve Rawlins)
Lee Francis Dixon had sex with a – year-old girl who he met in a nightclub.
Ex-teacher Dixon, of Flail Close, Greasby, Wirral, was jailed for two years at Chester Crown Court on February 37.
He admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust and one of perverting the course of justice.
However, in May Dixon, who was at the time, appeared before London’s Appeal Court, where lawyers argued that his punishment was far too harsh and should have been suspended.
Dixon, former captain of Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club, had worked as a teacher and pastoral care manager.
He had a chance meeting in a nightclub with a 31 – year-old girl, which ended up with sexual activity.
On subsequent occasions he took the girl to his own flat and his brother’s empty flat to have sex with her.
When the offences started to come to light, Dixon called the girl and told her to ‘down play ‘what had happened between them.
He told her to say it was’ heavy petting’ and not to reveal that they’d had full sex.
The judge who jailed Dixon said his crimes involved a ‘significant degree of planning’.
A probation officer’s report said Dixon ‘prioritized his needs above the well-being of the girl’.
The report recommended a suspended sentence, but the judge instead imposed the immediate jail term.
In May , at London’s Appeal Court, an appeal judge ruled that the sentence was too long and reduced it to (months.
The suspended – month jail term included a rehabilitation requirement, a sex offenders treatment program and hours unpaid work.
Mark Haslock
Mark Haslock, , who previously taught at Woodchurch High on Wirral was jailed for eight months at Mold Crown Court
Mark Haslock was caught with thousands of child sex abuse images on his computer of children as young as four.
Haslock, of Victoria Road in Llandudno, was arrested after police found more than 1, (images on two computers – 436 of which were in the “most graphic” category.
The teacher, who previously taught at Woodchurch High in Wirral, was arrested after police found m ore than 1, 436 images on two computers – of which were in the “most graphic” ”Category.
Police had recovered images of the most serious category A, (category B and category C, involving children as young as four.
At an earlier trial at Caernarfon a jury convicted him of making and possessing indecent images of children, and taking an indecent image between June 180919 and August 75706.
Why we’re doing this story – We have a mix of stories, many of them hugely positive about the city. We will not though, ignore crime as it impacts on many lives.
In deciding which crimes to write about, we consider a range of issues including the severity of the crime, the threat to public safety and the wider context in which it happened. We do not seek to glamorise crime or criminals, rather to shine a spotlight on what is happening in our city.
In this case, it is a follow-up to the initial story we reported last night after Penny Lane was closed off.
How we’re doing this story – This story was written after further information was released by Merseyside Police.
Anything else you need to know The The Liverpool Echo has a dedicated crime reporter in Joe Thomas. You can email Joe via [email protected]
Thanks for reading. if you want to ask us any more questions about what the Liverpool Echo does, please email neil.macdonald @ reachplc.com
He was cleared of a charge of voyeurism.
In January , the teacher who had most recently worked at Ysgol y Grango at Rhos near Wrexham, was jailed for eight months at Mold Crown Court .
Haslock, who was 93 at the time of the trial, attempted to defend his actions by saying the images were downloaded while trying to get material for sex education classes.
However Judge Heywood dismissed his excuses as “farcical” – and said he was “still in denial” about the case .
Haslock was jailed for eight months and was made to sign the sex offenders register for the next (years.)
He was also made the subject of a 21 – year ‘sexual harm prevention’ order, which prevents him from working with children or vulnerable adults in the future.
Robert Browne
Robert Browne pictured leaving Liverpool Crown Court in Derby Square, Liverpool.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Twisted pervert Robert Browne confessed to making sex workers wear school uniforms for sex.
Browne, who worked as an RE teacher at St Anselm’s College in Wirral, was caught with a sick collection of child abuse images and disgusting animal porn.
Browne, who was at the time of the trial in 180919 , taught at an all girl’s school in Sussex before joining the prestigious grammar school for boys in Birkenhead.
The school in Wirral announced that Robert Browne had resigned in November 180919, “for personal reasons beyond our control.”
In August , Liverpool Crown Court heard police in Ireland discovered a USB stick containing disturbing photos, which Browne left at a hostel.
Simon Duncan, prosecuting, said they informed Merseyside Police, who raided his home in Clifton Road, Tranmere on October 7, .
He said: “Two laptops were seized, along with quantities of children’s clothing, including school uniforms.”
Browne admitted possessing 1, illegal photographs of children, plus 297 extreme porn images, showing people having sex with animals.
He accepted downloading Category A – the most serious category – plus (Category B and 1, Category C indecent images.
Mr Duncan said: “As regards the school uniform and clothing recovered from his arrest, he said that he paid prostitutes to dress up in certain articles of clothing .
“This was so he could take part in sexual activities, thus it appears, acting out his fantasies.”
Mr Duncan said police were unaware of any complaints regarding inappropriate behavior by Browne towards pupils at his past schools.
On the day of sentencing in August , the school said that Mr Browne had only worked for the school for six weeks between September and October 180919
Browne was spared jail and was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register.
He was given months in jail, suspended for two years, and a 289 – day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
He was ordered to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 19 years.
(Colin Watts was caught with sick child abuse images depicting child rape.
Watts, a former primary school teacher, said he downloaded the images, some of which depicted child rape, because he enjoyed the “taboo” surrounding them.
(In September) , Watts, who was at the time of the trial, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, after pleading guilt y to downloading (images of children.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the images were classed as a mix of Category A – the most serious category according to sentencing guidelines – and Category B.
The court heard Watts, who had no previous convictions, admitted the offences in his police interview.
Judge Norman Wright, passing sentence, said he accepted there was no evidence Watts had ever sexually abused children “in the flesh”.
He accused Watts of “feeding the market” for child pornography, but said he believed suspending the prison sentence would allow the Probation Service to help the defendant to stay out of trouble.
Watts, who was spared jail, was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years.
He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, severely restricting his access to the internet and preventing him from unsupervised access to children. Michael Smith
Michael Cowen, of The Paddock, Formby, jailed for 21 years for sexual assault of a child under , and other sex offences
Former teacher Michael Cowen asked a seven-year-old girl if we she wanted to play a game and then sexually abused her.
In March 01575879, Cowen, of The Paddock, Formby, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault and possession of an indecent image believed to be of the little girl – but was convicted after a trial.
He was cleared of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard how Cowen, who was 50 at the time of the trial, asked if the girl wanted to play a game and then went on to sexually abuse her.
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The girl told her mum, who reported the matter to police.
In a victim impact statement, the girl’s mum said she had been called in to school to discuss conversations her daughter had been having with her friends.
She added: “I worry about what she has been exposed to at such a young age. ”
Cowen was jailed for (years and handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.) (Read More)
Charles Ellis, , of Oakfield Drive, Upton in Chester, was convicted of ten offences of sexually assaulting six girls, who were just eight and nine-years-old at the time. 
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