'Dangerous' North Wales teacher jailed for string of child sex offences
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A former North Wales teacher has been jailed for eight years with four more years on licence after committing a string of child sex offences.
Simon Clark, 46, from Ellesmere Port but now of no fixed address, posed as a boy of 14 on Snapchat to snare child sex abuse victims over the internet over a nine-month period. Clark used the false name Jamie Jones on the app to trick young girls - with one victim as young as ten. You can read more about the case here.
A judge at Chester Crown Court today said he had no doubt his offending would have continued if he hadn't been stopped after the mother of one victim noticed Clark's messages and reported him to police. It was every parent's nightmare, he said. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here
Police previously branded Clark a "sexual predator" with "warped sexual desires" after he admitted 26 offences against 26 victims at Chester Crown Court. He also pleaded guilty to three more offences of making indecent images of children.
The judge His Honour Simon Berkson said the truth must have been a "terrible shock" for his victims. He classed Clark as a "dangerous" offender whose crimes had been sophisticated.
He said he must serve up to two thirds of his eight years in custody before he would be eligible to apply for parole. Clark admitted one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity and two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
He also admitted 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and making 81 indecent images of children of Category C. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
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In addition to his custodial sentence, Clark will be on licence from jail for four years and has also been added to the sex offenders' register for life and handed restraining orders preventing him from contacting the victims. In a statement, Detective Constable Louise Murphy and Detective Constable Megan Griffiths, from Cheshire Police, who led the investigation, said: 'Firstly, we would like to praise the victims in this case for the bravery and courage that they have shown throughout this investigation. 'Clark was a teacher, he held a position of trust, and the messages we recovered clearly showed that he was well aware that his victims were all under the age of 16, but despite this he continued his crimes in order to satisfy his own warped sexual desires. 'It was apparent throughout the investigation that Clark is a sexual predator who preyed on young girls, with no regard for the effects his actions would have on the victims or their families. 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The paedophile teacher kept his head bowed as he was jailed. The court today [Friday] heard Clark pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile with the name 'Jamie_jones6968' to send hundreds of explicit messages to girls, persuading some to send sexual images in return. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Judge Simon Berkson said he had no doubt his offending would have continued if he hadn't been stopped after the mother of one victim noticed an unknown man had asked her daughter for a naked photograph and reported him to police. Article continues below It was every parent's nightmare, he said. Simon Clark, 46, of no fixed address, outside Chester Crown Court where he admitted 29 child sex offences The case against Clark began in January, 2023, when police in North Wales were contacted by the concerned parent. Initial enquires suggested that the suspect was living in the Cheshire area, so the case was passed to Cheshire Police. An investigation was subsequently launched by detectives from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Cheshire Police and during their enquiries officers established that Clark was the suspect in the case. A warrant was conducted at his home in May, 2023, and four devices were seized from the address. During subsequent analysis officers discovered that Clark had been posing as a teenager using the Snapchat account. The judge said the truth must have come as a "terrible shock" to the victims and their families. He branded Clark a "dangerous" offender. Clark was given an eight year term, with four more years on licence on his release, for inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity. The remaining jail terms, which are all concurrent, range from 40 months to four months. Clark also received concurrent sentences of eight months, four months and four weeks for making indecent images in categories A, B and C. The judge told the defendant he represented a 'significant risk' to children. Judge Berkson said: 'It is, of course, every parent's worst nightmare, this sort of thing happening to their children. 'Many of the offences involve sexual communication, some involving inciting children to engage in sexual activity. This was well planned and sophisticated criminal behaviour. 'You clearly have a sexual interest from the sexual abuse of children and gain sexual gratification from it.' Clark's barrister, Jeremy Rawson, referred to a "black side" to him. He said: "He has lost everything as a result of this. "There's a black side to his character which is unrestrained and he gave into it and he bitterly regrets it." He went on: "It's a terribly sad case. It's sad for those children whose trust has been abused. It's sad for the parents of those children whose trust has been marred by this man. "On the other side of the coin, this is a man who had a future, who had responsibilities and who had an education." When he goes into custody then comes out he will have to "start again from nothing". Clark admitted 29 charges in total. He admitted one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity and two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity. He also admitted 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and making 81 indecent images of children of Category C. Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Louise Murphy and Detective Constable Megan Griffiths, who led the investigation, said: 'Firstly, we would like to praise the victims in this case for the bravery and courage that they have shown throughout this investigation. "Clark was a teacher, he held a position of trust, and the messages we recovered clearly showed that he was well aware that his victims were all under the age of 16, but despite this he continued his crimes in order to satisfy his own warped sexual desires. 'It was apparent throughout the investigation that Clark is a sexual predator who preyed on young girls, with no regard for the effects his actions would have on the victims or their families. 'While they will never be able to forget what he did, we hope the sentence handed to Clark will provide the victims with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives.' An NSPCC spokesperson said: 'As a teacher Clark had a duty to keep children safe. 'Instead for seven years he posed as a teenage boy on a social media platform, using his fake profile to target and groom young girls before persuading them to send naked images of themselves. 'This kind of sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on the victims and it is vital all the children involved in this case have access to the support they need to move forwards with their lives. Article continues below 'This case also highlights the need for social media sites to be doing much more to protect children and prevent offenders like Clark from using their platforms to carry out their crimes.'
