May 2011

Suspended prison term for paedophile teacher

A paedophile head teacher has been given a suspended jail sentence after downloading indecent images of children and writing a sex fantasy about raping a young girl.

Stuart Barnett used his work computer at Dixie Grammar Junior School, in Wellsborough, near Market Bosworth, to access pornographic pictures of young girls.

He was arrested by police investigating another paedophile with whom Barnett had been chatting online.

The pair had also jointly written a story about a 12-year-old girl being raped by a man.

Barnett (48), of Fairway Road South, Shepshed, admitted making and sharing 11 indecent pictures of girls, some of which showed girls under the age of 13 in erotic poses.

At Leicester Crown Court yesterday, Barnett was given 10 weeks in jail, suspended for two years.

Judge Philip Head told him: “You were the headmaster of a school for juniors, having the care of young children.

“In that position, and using some equipment provided by the school, you acquired 11 images, some of those of girls under the age of 13.”

The judge said it was a “further aggravating feature” that Barnett had written parts of the rape “fantasy story”.

The court heard Barnett used both his office computer at the school and a school laptop for his criminal activity.

Mary Prior, representing Barnett, told the court her client was a “broken man”.

She said: “He was a pillar of society and of his church.

“For him, punishment has already been very severe indeed. He has lost his job, his wife and contact with his daughter.”

She said Barnett’s wife had suffered “enormous humiliation” because of his actions, while his daughter was having counselling.

The court heard Barnett used the internet name Uncle David to communicate with another paedophile between late 2009 and his arrest in May 2010.

Officers in Cheshire tracked him during an investigation into the other man, who was not named in court.

When he was arrested, at his family home near Coalville, Barnett gave police a pre-prepared statement that said: “I have no sexual interest in children whatsoever.”

However, he later pleaded guilty to possessing two indecent images of children and of distributing a further nine.

After his arrest, he was suspended from his job. He left the junior school, informing parents none of the images were of children from the school.

As well as getting a suspended prison sentence, Barnett was told to spend the next two years on a weekly course designed to prevent him re-offending. He will not be able to work with children for five years.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register and told to inform police of all his online accounts for the next five years.