Published at 15:44, Wednesday, 31 March 2010

A TEACHER who had sex with a 16-year-old pupil after seducing her with email messages on Facebook has been sent to prison for two years.

At Carlisle Crown Court last week, Judge Paul Batty QC described Christopher Twomey, 29, as a “sexual predator” who targeted the girl because he wanted to “gratify his own sexual urges”.

Twomey pleaded guilty to three charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust at a Whitehaven school.

He denied four similar charges, and these were left on the court file and will not be proceeded with.

Twomey was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and banned indefinitely from working with children.

The court heard Twomey had previously shown interest in three other girl pupils, by sending them sexually inappropriate emails, and had been given a final written warning after sending pictures of himself naked to one of them.

He also kept a stock of pornographic films and photographs – mostly showing school-age girls, often in sexual poses with teachers – at his parents’ home in Barrow-in-Furness, where he was living after the police investigation started.

Christopher Twomey’s porn collection included 18 films depicting teachers having sex with pupils in the classroom.

Prosecuting counsel Rob Dudley told the court Twomey’s relationship with the girl started after he sent her a private message on Facebook saying “You looked really nice last night.”

They then started flirting with each other using instant messages, and soon the girl was dressing up in bra and stockings, or displaying her breasts, so he could watch over a webcam.

Soon afterwards he invited her to his home in Parton, where they had sex for the first time.

“It was perfectly plain that he knew that what he was doing was wrong,”

Mr Dudley said. “He would tell her that he couldn’t be seen to be her boyfriend while she was at school and that he would get into trouble if anyone found out.”

On one occasion, Mr Dudley said, Twomey asked the girl to dress up as a schoolgirl for him, so he had sex with her after she arrived at his home wearing her school shirt, tie, pleated skirt and socks.

The relationship came to light because the girl confided in a friend, who told her boyfriend.

That boy used the information to try to blackmail the victim into having sex with him too, Mr Dudley said.

The court heard that during the police investigation the girl said that she and Twomey loved each other and that their relationship was “special not sordid”.

In mitigation, defence barrister David Comb said Twomey’s career was now ruined.

“This time last year he was a young man with everything to look forward to in life,” he said.

“But now his life has fallen apart.

“He was in a position which required the utmost responsibility but he lacked the maturity and judgement it required.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk