Latest news with #SimonClark
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Son set for half marathon charity Bath Leisure Centre swim
The son of a "supportive and gentle" ex-naval officer who passed away from bowel cancer has said the diagnosis brought his family closer together than Clark plans to swim the length of a half marathon in Bath Leisure Centre for charity and in memory of his Clark, who often took part in the Bath Half for Dorothy Hospice, passed away in 2023 after receiving "instrumental" support from the charity for his end of life Clark said he was a man who tirelessly "supported his family and causes in the local community" and wanted to give back in his honour. "I grew up with my dad running the Bath half Marathon every year to raise money for Dorothy House - I was always inspired by dad," he said."I became a dad and not long after that he passed away - he never got a chance to meet his granddaughter."I was able to record a little interview with him. "I can now keep that recording, and my daughter can watch that when she's old enough," he added. Mr Clark said: "We used to go to the Bath leisure Center Pool, and I kind of got a love for the water there."[Doing the challenge] I'll imagine him in the seats watching me and reading a paper looking down and going, 'Oh, keep going'. "It's going to be emotional." Any money raised from the challenge will be donated to Dorothy House and Cancer Kennedy, head of fundraising at Dorothy House Hospice Care said: "Simon's Swim is a phenomenal fundraising challenge."We only receive 20% of our funding from the government, so Simon's generosity ensures that we can provide vital end of life care to other people like his dad."
7NEWS
30-07-2025
- Climate
- 7NEWS
Freezing at home? The heating that keeps you warm and adds value to your property
If you're one of those people shivering through another winter and vowing to invest in new heating in time for the next one, your head is likely spinning from all the choices. In a country where climate extremes are becoming the new normal, and energy efficiency is more important than ever, Australian homeowners are faced with an increasing number of heating options from affordable choices such as split systems and wood burners to smarter, more sustainable options. But when it comes to heating that will not only keep you warm, but add value to your home, most experts say there are a couple of heating choices you can't go past. Topping the list is electric hydronic heating which is quickly emerging as the gold standard when it comes to heating your home in Australia, particularly in cooler climates, such as Victoria, Tasmania and Canberra and regional NSW. Simon Clark, president of the Sustainable Builders Alliance and the founder and director of Sustainable Homes Melbourne says hydronic heating is the "bees' knees" when it comes to heating your home, particular for those with older, "leaky" homes. By leaky, he means drafty homes with poorly sealed windows and doors, gaps in flooring, and inadequate insulation, which are more common in older homes. "Hydronic heating is a lovely ambient heat that just stays in the home and doesn't blow through and out of the home like a lot of the breezier alternatives," Mr Clark says. While you can get both gas and electric hydronic heating, Mr Clark says an increasing number of home buyers are now specifically looking for no-gas homes. Goodbye to gas He says renovating or building a home with electric heating, especially if it can be powered by solar panels can add enormous value to a home. "One of the biggest objectives for most of our clients we work with now, whether it's a renovation of an old home or a new home, is to have no gas," Mr Clark says. The latest electric hydronic heating can be effectively run using solar power, offering a sustainable and efficient way to heat homes. By pairing solar panels with a heat pump or electric boiler, the system can utilise solar energy to heat water, which is then circulated through pipes for heating the space, either through underfloor heating or radiator panels. Mr Clarke says while electric hydronic heating is 60 to 80 per cent more costly to install than gas, if it is powered by solar panels, it ends up being far cheaper, and more sustainable in the long run. Peter Stephens from real estate agent Nelson Alexander in Carlton North says installing a good hydronic heating system will add value to any home located in a cooler climate. "Home buyers, particularly down here in Melbourne, love hydronic heating, and we are finding more and more buyers carefully considering the energy efficiency of a home when they are buying," he says. "So, they are not just looking at the energy efficiency of the heating but the passive orientation of the entire home, including things like double-glazed windows and the thermal quality of the home," he says. Hot property: heating and selling price Mario Sanfrancesco from Blackshaw Manuka says in Canberra where it is mandatory to have an energy rating on every property that goes to market, choosing the right heating can have a significant impact on the selling price. "In Canberra, heating is a very important consideration for home buyers, given how grey and cold it can be." "Not only that, a good energy rating can really add to the value of your home, so it really is important to think through your heating options, in terms of costs, efficiency and sustainability," Mr Sanfrancesco says. He says the heating choices that add the most value to homes in Canberra include ducted heating systems and hydronic heating. "Ducted heating definitely adds value to a home compared to say a split system, while some of the higher-end builds now have hydronic in-floor slab heating which really boosts the price of a home," he says. Mr Sanfrancesco says while good ducted and hydronic heating will add value to a home in a cold-climate environment, it is just as important to ensure the home includes other energy efficiencies such as good insulation and double or triple glazing on the windows. "You can have the best form of heating but if you're losing that heat through inefficiencies like lots of windows and hard surfaces than it can be counterproductive," he says. Wood fires add ambience While split systems are one of the most common and affordable heating options for Australian homes, they don't necessarily add great dollar value to a property, particularly for bigger homes or those located in cooler areas of Australia. Meanwhile, experts agree open fireplaces and wood heaters do add value, mainly for the ambience and charm they add to a home. And for those appealing to high-end home buyers, underfloor heating in bathrooms and ensuites can definitely boost the price of a home. Mr Collins says electric hydronic heating is by far the best option for older homes dealing with drafts and poor insulation.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Daily Mail
French teacher, 46, who posed as boy online to entice teen girls to send sexual images is jailed for eight years
A French teacher who posed online as a boy to entice teenage girls to send sexual images has been jailed for eight years. Simon Clark, head of department at the Alun High School, in Mold, North Wales, preyed on 26 youngsters, aged between 10 and 15. The 46-year-old, a father of two, whose wife has since divorced him and his career ended, has 'lost everything', Chester Crown Court 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 young girls, persuading some to send sexual images in return. Passing sentence, Judge Simon Berkson told the defendant he represented a 'significant risk' to children. He kept his head bowed as he was jailed. 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, formerly of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had admitted at earlier hearing to 29 offences; one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, one count of making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, one of making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and one of making 81 indecent images of children of Category C. Earlier, John Philpotts, prosecuting, told the court Clark's activities were only discovered by chance by one mother, 'looking over the shoulder' of one girl. On January 24 2023, the mother called police after discovering her 12-year-old daughter had received sexually explicit messages on Snapchat from the 'Jamie Jones' account. The mother only found out as her daughter had been 'grounded' for a separate matter and had her phone confiscated so was using a laptop her mother had access to. In May 2023, police traced the 'Jamie Jones' account to Clark's home address, discovering he was a father of two children. Clark was arrested at the school where he worked. Investigation of four devices seized from his home revealed chat logs of hundreds of sexually explicit communications with a large number of other young girls along with explicit videos, going back nine months. Mr Philpotts said some examples of the messages Clark sent included, to a 12-year-old girl, 'I have a big dick, you have big tits. Any pics? You get horny much? Get those fingers wet'. Clark then sent a video of a sex act. To another girl, also 12, he sent another message saying: 'You look cute and filthy' before asking about her 'kink' and going on to mention, 'hair pulling, getting smacked, Daddy kink. You have big tits'. And to a girl aged 15, Clark sent the message: 'Is it true some girls are dirty in bed? Show your tits and I will show you a video of me. Play with them.' Clark initially denied any wrongdoing but admitted all the offences at an earlier hearing. Jeremy Rawson, mitigating for Clark, said his wife had divorced him and he only has limited contact with his children and other family had disowned him. Mr Rawson added: 'He is a man who is educated, a teacher, a professional, worked in the education system for 20 years, all of that is lost. 'He has lost everything as a result of what he has done. There is a black side to his character. 'There are no winners in this case whatsoever.' 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. '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.' For advice on identifying signs of sexual exploitation visit Child Sexual Exploitation & How to Keep Your Child Safe at
Wales Online
06-06-2025
- Wales Online
Every parent's nightmare as respected teacher exposed as paedophile who preyed on young girls
Every parent's nightmare as respected teacher exposed as paedophile who preyed on young girls Simon Clark posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat to groom his victims into sending him naked images Simon Clark, 46, formerly of Ellesmere Port but now of no fixed address, was jailed for eight years with four more years on licence after admitting child sex offences (Image: Cheshire Police ) He was a highly respected French teacher. Simon Clark was head of department at Alun School in Mold, with a family at home. But the 46-year-old was harbouring a sickening secret. Clark was posing as a teenage boy on Snapchat in order to entice girls into sending him sexual images. Chester Crown Court heard he preyed on 26 youngsters, aged as young as 10. The father-of-two's wife has since divorced him, his career is over, and he is now behind bars. A judge today sentenced him to eight years in prison, with a further four years to be spent on licence. 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.'
Leader Live
06-06-2025
- Leader Live
Ellesmere Port: Ex-teacher jailed over child sex offences
Simon Clark, who is of no fixed abode from Ellesmere Port and head of department at the Alun High School, in Mold, preyed on 26 youngsters, aged between 10 and 15, Chester Crown Court heard. The 46-year-old, whose wife has since divorced him and his career ended, has 'lost everything', the court heard. He kept his head bowed as he was jailed. 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. Passing sentence, Judge Simon Berkson 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, formerly of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had admitted at earlier hearing to 29 offences; one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, one count of making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, one of making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and one of making 81 indecent images of children of Category C.
