Locations
Woodman Close, Halesowen, Birmingham, B63
Description
A Birmingham school has issued a statement after an assistant headteacher who tried to seduce a 13-year-old girl was jailed.
Andrew Shelton, who used to work at Harborne Primary School, was locked up for nearly three years.
He was caught with indecent images of children.
None of the offences related to children at the school.
Harborne Primary issued a statement on its website in a bid to reassure parents.
It said Shelton was suspended last July and sacked in January.
The statement said: "Some of you may have seen media coverage about a former assistant head teacher at this school who earlier this week was jailed in relation to child sex offences.
"I understand this might cause concern but I would like to reassure all parents and carers that police have confirmed that none of the offences relate to his former role at the school, and he was suspended from the school in July 2017 and then dismissed in January 2018.
"The safety and wellbeing of our children is our absolute priority and if any parents have concerns they can contact Mandy Hughes, Head Teacher."
The 52-year-old regularly encouraged the youngster and other children to send him explicit images.
Officers were alerted to his contact with the teenager over Skype across March and April last year.
They then searched his home in Woodman Close, Halesowen .
Shelton was found to have 93 indecent images across his computer and mobile phone; along with evidence that he had messaged other youngsters and searched for indecent images of children.
The 52-year-old admitted eight charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child, trying to incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and possessing indecent images of children.
He was jailed for two years and eight months at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday (18 September).
He no longer works as a teacher and none of the charges related to his role.
Det Sgt Rob Grace , from the forces Public Protection Unit, said: "Shelton was trying to coerce children over the internet and encourage them to send inappropriate images.
He was a role model for young people as a teacher but away from the classroom he preyed on them for his own gratification.
Safeguarding of children will always be a top priority for the force.
"Anyone who encourages child abuse by viewing or sharing paedophilic images or engages in explicit conversations involving children needs to prepare themselves for being caught and hauled before the courts."