A teacher who groomed and molested a pupil in his classroom hid his paedophile past for nearly 40 years.

RE teacher Richard Jones groped a pupil at his desk in a Manchester secondary school, and swapped explicit emails with her.

Now it has emerged that Jones repeatedly abused another girl in the 1970s when he was living on Merseyside.

Married dad-of-three Jones, 57, of Gorton Road, Reddish, Stockport, has now been jailed for eight years after admitting 13 child sex charges against the two victims.

Jones first victim only came forward after he was arrested in August last year for crimes against the pupil.

Simon Blakebrough, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court that the schoolgirl saw Jones as someone she could confide in.

But as the months went on, Jones escalated the contact from clandestine chats between lessons, to lunchtime ‘heavy petting sessions in his classroom at school’ – even fondling her ‘between the bookshelves’ at a public library.

By the end of term, other teachers reported concerns to bosses.

Jones was suspended, pending an internal investigation.

Richard Jones hid his paedophile past for 40 years

Undeterred, Jones continued to molest the girl, who lied to her parents so she could meet him daily at Didsbury Park during the summer holidays.

The court heard she felt ‘forced to kiss’ Jones during these encounters, where more serious sex acts took place.

By the time relatives found graphic sex chat emails between the girl and Jones, he had told her he wanted to ‘go all the way’.

Racquel Simpson, defending, said Jones now apologised to his victims for his ‘unforgivable crimes’.

“He does appreciate quite how wrong his behaviour is and was,” she added.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Atherton described Jones’ abuse of the schoolgirl, who came to him for support, as a ‘severe breach of trust’, remarking how his crimes must also have ‘devastated’ his own family.

Before qualifying as a teacher in 2006, Jones worked as a primary school teaching assistant, and took school kids on residential outdoor trips

Speaking after the sentence, the schoolgirl’s mum said: “It’s been a nightmare and it was disgusting to hear the details – but we have justice at last.”