Latest Offenders Salisbury

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A PAEDOPHILE who thought his poor health allowed him not to comply with a court order has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Colin Boon, of Ashmore Close in Whiteparish, failed to register as a sex offender last year without reasonable excuse.

The 65-year-old was stung by online paedophile hunters at his previous home in Salisbury in 2018.

During his sentencing at Swindon Crown Court in 2021, it transpired that Boon had collected hundreds of child sex abuse images since 2006 and stored them on 26 devices.

The vile collection featured children estimated to be as young as 12 months.

As part of Boon's sentence, he was ordered to register as a sex offender and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

But Boon did not comply with this order and failed to complete his annual registration.

Boon pleaded not guilty to the offence but the court said he had tried to avoid the requirements and "suggested his health allowed him not to comply with a court order".

The blind paedophile sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Salisbury Crown Court on Thursday, June 20.

Boon must also pay £350 court costs and a £154 surcharge.

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A man has been jailed for 14 years after admitting sexually assaulting a child.

Stephen Harrison, 40, of Barrington Road, Salisbury, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday.

Wiltshire Police said he had pleaded guilty to "multiple counts" of sexual assault on a child under 13 and an attempted rape.

The offences took place on various dates between 2015 and 2020, the court was told.

Det Con Dawn Rowan, from Wiltshire Police, said: "Firstly, I would like to praise the victim in this case who has shown bravery and courage well beyond her years in reporting this to police and ensuring this dangerous man is put behind bars.

"Harrison has shown little remorse for his despicable actions, continuing to lie through numerous police interviews before eventually pleading guilty in court.

"I am pleased that we were able to secure this conviction and see Harrison sentenced.

"We are committed to targeting individuals who commit such abhorrent crimes, regardless of how much time has passed since.

"I would urge anyone reading this who has experienced something similar to report it to police immediately - you will be fully supported through the process by specially-trained officers", she added.

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A serial sex offender has been jailed after he went off the polices radar for almost two weeks before being tracked down to Totnes.

Gary Taylor, aged 63, formerly of Salisbury and the Isle of Wight, but now of no fixed address, was required to tell police about his movements because he has a history of sexual assaults on vulnerable lone females and is a registered sex offender.

Taylor was categorised as a dangerous offender when he was jailed for a total of eight years and four months in 2015 for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman who had mental health issues.

He approached her while she was sitting on a bench in June 2014 and offered her a cigarette and whisky before taking a spot her to a bridge at Summerlock Approach where he was sleeping rough.

He went on to sexually assault her, leaving her traumatised. She told police Taylor was rank and she had told him to leave her alone. She later said she felt sick and terrified.

He also has convictions for sexually assaulting lone females on trains and was already on the register when he committed the offence in Salisbury.

Taylor admitted failing to comply with the sex offenders register.

He left his home on the Isle of Wight without informing the authorities on February 11 this year and did not turn up again until February 22, when he presented himself at Torquay police station but refused to complete the necessary forms.

He was eventually arrested in Totnes the next day and had apparently been living rough in Devon. He claimed he wanted to be arrested so he could get treatment for a hip condition.

Taylor has been jailed for nine months by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: This was a deliberate failure to comply, in particular by leaving the Isle of Wight and going off elsewhere. It caused more than a little upset and concern because you went a significant distance from where the authorities had tabs on you.

Miss Caroline Bolt, prosecuting, said Taylor is on the register for life and required to notify police if he was away from his home address for more than three days.

He left home without telling the police in February before turning up in Devon, where he failed to re-register correctly at Torquay Police station on February 22 and being arrested in Totnes the next day.

Taylor was not represented but told the judge he had been confused by the law. He said he went to the police station in the hope of being arrested but had been turned away.

He said: I went to get arrested because I needed treatment for a broken hip but it was not until the next day that I got picked up for something else.

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A MAN from Salisbury has been jailed after pleading guilty to multiple child sex offences. 

John Devine, 52, is a registered sex offender and was on prison licence and living in Salisbury at the time of the offences was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to multiple offences which included:

• Make indecent images of a child (category A)
• Make indecent images of a child (category B)
• Make indecent images of a child (category C)
• Distribute an indecent image of a child (category A)
• Distribute an indecent image of a child (category C)
• Attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Attempt to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity
• Attempt to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity

Devine engaged online with a profile of a user who he believed to be a 12-year-old boy between September 2, 2021, and October 1, 2021.

The conversation was of a sexual nature and he encouraged the child to carry out a sexual act. 

The investigation into Devine was run in conjunction with the Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit in South Wales, and there was no real-life victim. 

No children had been abused. 

Following Devine's arrest, devices were seized from his property and more than 600 images along with videos of category A indecent images of children were located. 

The images were of the most serious abuse of children. 

In addition to the 12-year prison sentence, Devine must register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Det Con Sadie McCoy, of the Wiltshire Police Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “Despite being on licence at the time of these offences, Devine has continued to offend. He is a risk to society and I am pleased the serious nature of his offending has been recognised and he has been given a lengthy prison sentence.

“I hope this investigation demonstrates Wiltshire Police's commitment to rooting out serious offenders like Devine within our community and ensuring they are put before the courts. We would encourage anybody who wishes to report child sex abuse of any nature to come forward and contact us – you will be supported by a team of professionals whose role it is to protect children from harm.”

Det Insp Mathew Davies, of TARIAN ROCU, said: “It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities.  Law enforcement operates across the internet and we will relentlessly seek to bring to justice offenders who use the web to facilitate the abuse of children. We are committed to combating child sexual abuse, safeguarding children and bringing those offenders who seek to abuse children to justice.

"If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up on allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.

"If you have concerns about your use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children or if you are worried about how someone you know behaves around children or are worried about their use of the internet then the Lucy Faithfull Foundation provide a free, anonymous and confidential Stop It Now! Helpline on 0808 1000 900 for advice, support and information.”

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A Salisbury man has been found guilty of multiple counts of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour.

Terry Newman, 52, of Cherry Orchard Lane, Salisbury, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment today (5/4).

Back in 2020, officers were called to an unrelated incident involving Newman, however, it was during this report that the victim disclosed historic sexual assaults and controlling and coercive behaviour by Newman.

On one occasion, Newman raped this woman whilst forcing her head down into a pillow.

On another occasion, Newman assaulted the victim, and controlled where she could and could not go, as well as controlling her finances.

Det Con Ryan Churchley said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for the bravery she has shown in contacting police in relation to her ordeal. Not only that, but I’d like to commend her for the bravery she showed in the court room during the trial. After Newman pleaded not guilty, his victim was forced to relive her ordeal in a court room whilst being cross examined. I hope this sentence will provide her with some closure, however, I completely understand that no sentence will ever compensate for what he did to her.

“Newman would often consume alcohol before being violent and manipulative - nobody should ever experience what this woman has been through.
“I hope this case encourages anyone else in a similar position to come forward and report it to us. You will be fully supported by our officers and we will also be able to direct you to support agencies who can provide further, long-term support.”

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AN NHS surgeon who worked at University Hospital Southampton has been convicted of possessing "revolting and abhorrent" images of child sexual abuse.

Plastic surgeon Mansoor Khan was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) he was found to have 106 images - mostly of boys aged between five and seven - on his mobile phone and a hard drive.

Interviewed by NCA investigators the 54-year-old, who also worked at Salisbury District Hospital, admitted receiving the images from a contact on Snapchat.

But he claimed to have acted out of curiosity and had no intention of promoting, sharing or storing them.

The surgeon, who specialises in reconstructive surgery, breast surgery, body contouring and "facial rejuvenation", was charged with three offences of making and possessing indecent images of a child between December 10, 2020, and August 24, 2021.

They included 31 category A images - ranked the most serious.

He denied the offences but was convicted at Salisbury Crown Court following a five-day trial and is due to be sentenced on February 24 next year.

The court heard that Khan used encrypted sites to message others and repeatedly accessed child pornography using his mobile phone.

"By downloading these images he demonstrated a sexual interest in children and helped fuel the sickening demand for this kind of material.

"He denied ever taking screenshots of images on his phone, but our investigation showed this simply wasn’t true.

"The NCA continues to pursue offenders like Khan, to bring them to justice and protect victims of online child sexual abuse."

During the trial Charles Gabb, prosecuting, said Khan gave in to sexual temptation "many times over".

Referring to the category A images he added: "They are of the most revolting and abhorrent kind. They are just awful. You can rarely, if ever, expunge it from your memory."

Khan spent many years pretending to be a pillar of society but was nursing a "deep and sordid secret", the court heard.

Mr Gabb said: "In the privacy of those moments where he and his phone were together he thought he would never, ever be caught."

Khan, of Ridgeway Road, Salisbury, worked at University Hospital Southampton until October last year and has now been dismissed by Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

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Adrian Scott, 58, of Tidworth Road, Boscombe, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to ten counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, six of inciting a boy to engage in sexual activity without penetration, three of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of paying for sexual services of a boy without penetration and one of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

Scott was jailed on Wednesday (November 24) for three years and eight months for all offences as well as being given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was also added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Following a national investigation concerning child sexual abuse and exploitation relating to a website which has storage and file hosting service based in New Zealand, Scott was identified as having an account and having uploaded and shared a number of files, while he claimed to be 16.

In April 2020, officers from Wiltshire Police’s Child Internet Exploitation Team attended his address at the time in Great Durnford, Salisbury, with a search warrant.

A number of items were seized from the property where the extent of his offending was revealed, with evidence of Scott posing as a 16-year-old boy online to talk to other people about indecent images and using online chat sites to encourage boys as young as 13 to perform sexual acts, with money being sent on more than one occasion by online transfer.

The charges relate to 1,459 images and videos being recovered.

Detective Constable Jason Walsh, of the Wiltshire Police Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “Cases such as this are often shocking and disturbing, and our job is to safeguard the victims.

“We are pleased to have secured a custodial sentence for Scott and this is testament to some superb partnership work.

“We will continue to act on intelligence we receive on these abhorrent crimes and will ensure the internet is not a safe place for individuals like Scott to prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.”

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A man has been jailed for 15 years for raping a 71-year-old woman more than 40 years ago.

Kenneth Wells, 63, of Verona Road, Salisbury, broke into Violet Brown's house, raped her and locked her inside in November 1980.

The case was solved after officers re-tested evidence using DNA technology.

The judge told Wells, who was arrested and released at the time of the offence, he had subjected Ms Brown to "the most terrifying circumstances".

Wells previously also admitted burglary and false imprisonment at Salisbury Crown Court on 1 September.

Ms Brown lived alone in Collingbourne Ducis, in Wiltshire, and because Wells locked her in, had to wait until morning before she was able to alert her neighbours and the police.

Wells was arrested shortly afterwards and remained the prime suspect, but there was never enough evidence to charge him until June this year.

'Utterly traumatised'

Wells broke into the house with at least one other man while Ms Brown was sleeping.

The men, wearing stocking masks, shone torches in her face and yelled abuse at her during the attack.

Sentencing Wells at Winchester Crown Court, Judge Angela Morris told him: "It doesn't bear imagination how terrified she [Ms Brown] must have been.

"This is a case of some of the most abject humiliation, threats and violation towards a vulnerable and helpless elderly lady who was left utterly traumatised and physically injured by this appalling experience at your hands.

"Not only did you rob her of her possessions, you also robbed of her everything she held dear, including her independence."

Wiltshire Police reopened the cold case last year and using the latest in DNA technology, were able to confirm a direct match between the hair and fibre samples recovered from the original scene and Wells.

Accomplice still sought

Det Ch Insp Darren Hannant said: "There is no doubt that this horrendous attack had a lasting impact on Ms Brown, who had to live with the memory of this traumatic incident for the rest of her life.

"Wells committed a truly despicable crime and probably thought he had got away with it.

"But no unsolved serious case is ever completely closed. I am proud that we have finally been able to convict Wells and see him pay the price for what he did."

Detectives said the sentencing should come as a warning to Wells' accomplice who watched him rape Ms Brown, as they hope that DNA will eventually reveal his identity too.

Rape victims have the right to anonymity for life, but because Ms Brown died in 1996, she has been named and her family have released a photograph of her.

Wells was sentenced to 15 years in prison and an additional six years on licence for the rape.

He was also sentenced to three years for burglary and three years for false imprisonment, to run concurrently.

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Appearing at Salisbury Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing today (May 7), Nicholas John Wells, of Eyres Way, Salisbury, admitted to a charge of Section 2 Assault by penetration.

The court heard how he sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s just after midnight on May, 19 2019 in Hudson’s Field.

Shortly after the incident an e-fit drawing of the suspect was released, and the appeal was renewed in May 2020, a year after the assault.

However a breakthrough came in the form of developments in DNA evidence sampling technology which meant that Wells, a suspect in the case, was matched to samples taken from the victim. He was subsequently charged and remanded in custody.

DC Hannah Milburn, the Wiltshire Police officer leading the investigation for CID South, said: “We are very pleased with today’s result which means that Wells’ victim will not have to endure having to revisit her horrific ordeal by being involved in a court trial.

“I’m sure that the public will be reassured that a dangerous sex offender has been taken off the streets and will face justice for his crimes.”

Her sentiments were echoed by DI Dean Garvin who said: “This was a horrific crime.

“Nicholas Wells attacked a young lady and sexually assaulted her. I would like to pay testimony to her courage, both in reporting this and throughout the process.

“This has been a long and complex investigation.

“DC Hannah Milburn never gave up on her efforts to bring the victim justice. I want people to know that we never give up on these cases, even if they take years, we will continue to work on them and try to solve them.

“The offenders should live with that. They should always look over their shoulder. That is what they do to their victims.”

Wells is due to appear before Salisbury Crown Court on July 2 for sentencing.

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A DAD-OF-THREE who was confronted by paedophile hunters at a Swindon Burger King has been jailed.

David Johnson, 37, was sent to prison for 18 months after he admitted attempting to groom a child and inciting sexual activity.

Swindon Crown Court heard last March he contacted a profile belonging to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl called India on social media website Chat Hour. The conversation later moved to WhatsApp.

He sent a picture of his private parts and suggested the “girl” touch herself. The married dad said he wanted to be India’s boyfriend and spoke of “taking it slowly and not doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with doing”.

Prosecutor Andrew Stone told the court: “Mr Johnson was told that India was a 14-year-old girl on several occasions. He acknowledged that and gave the very strong impression that he took it seriously because he expressed concerns about vigilante groups who were there to expose paedophiles. He knew exactly what was going on.”

The pair arranged to meet. At 7pm on April 24 last year, Johnson arrived at the Burger King restaurant on Queens Drive – only to be confronted by a group of so-called paedophile hunters. The vigilante group filmed the exchange and posted it to social media.

He answered no comment to questions put to him by police officers in his interview, but soon after confessed to his wife about what had been going on.

Mr Stone acknowledged there was no evidence that Johnson had made arrangements to have sex with the “girl” when he set up the Burger King meeting, for example by booking a hotel room. But he said throughout the pair’s conversations there were “quite clear statements from him he wanted a sexual relationship”.

Johnson, of Stoford, near Salisbury, pleaded guilty to attempting to groom a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Richard Williams, defending, said his client had paid to put himself through counselling. He had lost his marriage, been forced to leave two jobs, had had to leave the family home and was living with his mother.

Footage of his apprehension by the paedophile hunter group had made its way onto the internet. While that had since been taken down by the group, the court heard, it was an “extreme source of humiliation” for Johnson.

The lawyer said his client was a man of previous good character and could be rehabilitated. He has three daughters.

Judge Peter Crabtree sentenced Johnson to 18 months imprisonment. He must abide by a sexual harm prevention order limiting his access to the internet for 10 years and sign on to the sex offenders’ register for the same length of time.

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A PAEDOPHILE from Salisbury travelled more than 100 miles hoping to meet an underage teenage girl for sex.

Nigel McDermott, 53, contacted who he thought was a teenage girl online and arranged a rendezvous in Crawley, West Sussex.

The builders merchant, of Hawks Ridge, Harnham was in fact contacting an undercover police officer, instead of a 13-year-old.

Sussex Police said no child was ever at risk during the investigation, and arrested him at a car park in Tilgate Park.

McDermott appeared at Hove Crown Court where he admitted facilitating a child sexual offence. He was jailed for three years.

Investigator David Sharpe said; McDermott engaged in online contact with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but who was in fact a police officer.

This arrest followed a proactive, intelligence led investigation, part of our continuing priority to protect children from sexual exploitation and from those who seek to do them harm.

McDermott will be a registered sex offender and was put under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which cuts his access to children and computers.

The investigation was led by the Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Victims of child sex abuse can contact 101 and speak with investigators.

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A 26-YEAR-OLD father who sexually abused a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for five years.

Daniel Reed of Oak Close, Farley, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child.

The court heard that the abuse took place between February and May last year after a "wholesome friendship" between Reed who is a father to two young children and his victim turned physical, starting with kissing before moving to sex.

Judge Andrew Barnett told the defendant: "You ruthlessly exploited her [the victim] by pleasuring yourself in the way that has been described here today.

"You have effectively robbed her of her childhood.

"She is left with the difficulty of never really every being able to have a proper relationship, because of what you have done."

Tears were shed by relatives of the victim, who were present at the hearing, with a cry of "yes" when the jail term was delivered.

Speaking after the decision, Wiltshire Police Det Con Kim Weston praised the girl for her bravery in cooperating with the investigation.

She said: Over many months, Reed groomed his 14-year-old victim to the point that she trusted him and believed that she loved him.

During some of her most vulnerable times, he used that trust to enter into a sexual relationship with her.

The victim has shown unbelievable strength through this process and I hope that the sentence today allows her time to heal and move forward with her life.

She added: We know that child sexual abuse can have a long-lasting impact on victims, right into adulthood and that they need appropriate specialist support.

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WILTSHIRE'S most prolific paedophile received six life sentences today for more than 100 vile crimes against children as young as two.

Peter Daniels, aged 70, glared and shrugged from the dock of Salisbury Crown Court as he received the life-long jail term.

Judge Richard Parkes described the pervert as "an expert in grooming".

Daniels, previously of Eyres Drive in Alderbury but now of HMP Isle of Wight, was sentenced for 78 offences of child sexual abuse against 22 young victims aged between just two and 15-years-old, after admitting the charges in December.

The children were abused by the 70-year-old over a 10-year period.

Despite receiving six life sentences and numerous other lengthy jail terms Daniels will only be required to serve a minimum of nine years behind bars before his case can go before a parole board.

The court heard that Daniels gained access to his victims, who are all from Salisbury, by befriending their families (who were often vulnerable) and grooming not only the children involved, but their parents.

Victim statements from parents of Daniels' young victims said they felt blame for "failing to protect" their children.

But Judge Parkes told the 12 families who attended today's hearing: "It is a warm and human impulse to like and to trust others.

"[Daniels] was widely known and liked. He seemed a very kind, helpful and decent person.

"They [the victims' parents] have no reason whatsoever to blame themselves for failing to realise he has a very dark side."

He was previously jailed for 12 years in October 2017, after admitting 12 offences, including rape, against the first two young victims to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Eirin Martin of Salisbury CID told the Journal that after Daniels' first two victims came forward, hard drives were uncovered at his home containing hundreds of thousands of indecent images of children - 4,000 of which he had created himself, documenting his abuse over the past 10 years, and a further 600,000 internet downloads.

The images, a combination of still photographs and videos, were crucial evidence in bringing the scale of Daniels' offending to light.

The abuse took place in Daniels' home in Alderbury, where he lived alone, and a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Claire Booth said in the footage "a small number of the victims were asleep, but for the most part they were awake and fully aware of what was happening".

Ms Booth described Daniels as being like an uncle to his victims.

"[He was like] a loving, caring uncle, who looked after them, treated them with kindness and love, treated them to days out and gifts, and made them feel special," she said ahead of today's sentencing.

But she said he had two different personas, and this was in part what made his attempts at grooming and manipulation so successful.

"The Mr Daniels in the police interview appeared to be a calculating, cold man," she added. "He seemed to have very little appreciation for how his offending could have in any way impacted on these children, and on their emotional and physical wellbeing."

DS Martin said: "This investigation is the biggest child sexual exploitation investigation that Wiltshire Police has ever undertaken and involved more than 25 specialist officers from across our county.

"The investigation involved interviewing of over 30 children, witness statements and examination of a large amount of digital media and exhibits."

And she praised the victims involved for their bravery, and for preventing further children from falling prey to the paedophile.

"Daniels is a predatory offender who was actively offending at the time of his arrest, and who I have no doubt would have gone on to offend if it had not been for the bravery of the victims coming forward and telling us what has happened to them," she said.

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A "MANIPULATIVE" sex offender who targeted a 13-year-old girl has been jailed for seven years.

Stuart Penny, of Pinewood Close in Salisbury, admitted a string of sex offences that took place between December 2015 and April 2016, and was jailed for seven years and two months at Salisbury Crown Court in December.

The 52-year-old's victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 13 at the time.

Detective Constable Jackie Allen, from Salisbury CID, said: I would like to pay tribute to the young victim in this case who has shown immense bravery in speaking to police about the abuse she suffered.

Penny is a manipulative sex offender who groomed his victim and initially denied the offences, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Here at Wiltshire Police we are committed to bringing these types of offenders to justice, and I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to come forward and speak to us about what has happened to you.

Penny pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, inciting a child aged between 13 and 15 to view images of sexual activity, inciting a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity and possession of extreme pornographic images.

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A DISGRACED grammar school teacher who secretly photographed girls at school has been struck off for sexual misconduct.

Ashley Bakewell had been employed as a computing teacher at South Wilts Grammar School since January 2012, but on December 16, 2016, a sixth former suspected him of photographing female pupils at the school and reported him to the head teacher.

"Numerous images" were found on his phone from earlier that day, but Bakewell admitted he had been taking inappropriate pictures of the girls without their knowledge and storing them on his mobile for about a year.

The 33-year-old resigned in February 2017, but a spokesman for the school confirmed he had been immediately suspended in December 2016, and did not return to the school site.

Last month his case was heard by a panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), who found that his conduct was "sexually motivated" and barred him from teaching indefinitely.

Bakewell admitted he "was particularly attracted to the relevant pupils' long hair".

An agreed statement of facts says: "[The pictures] were dated December 16, 2016, which was the date that pupils at the school reported Mr Bakewell's inappropriate conduct.

"The images were taken from behind and of female pupils."

The day in question had been a non-uniform day, and the pictures were of "pupils in various academic years".

South Wilts educates girls between ages 11 and 18.

The report said: "[Bakewell] breached the trust and confidence placed in him through his position as a teacher by, without their knowledge, taking images of children, repeatedly, over a long period of time."

It added: "This case has sexual misconduct at its core, and therefore the panel is of the view that prohibition [from teaching] is both proportionate and appropriate."

But Bakewell can apply to have his prohibition order overturned in five years, with the panel ruling that no harm had been caused to the girls who had been photographed, and that the photos "although inappropriate were not indecent".

It comes after art teacher Debbie Evans was banned from teaching for life for having a two-year affair with a sixth form pupil in 2015.

A statement from South Wilts said a "serious safeguarding matter" was reported by students in December 2016, and that staff "immediately followed the school's safeguarding procedures".

It said investigations were undertaken by various agencies including the police and Wiltshire Safeguarding Children Board.

It continued: "This is an unusual and rare event, but the school acted promptly when notified of the matter and our policies were effective and robust enough to respond according to regulatory guidance.

"As ever, the school ensures that the safety and wellbeing of our students is its highest priority."

Wiltshire Police confirmed an investigation had been undertaken, but "no criminal offences were established".