Teacher barred for viewing child rape videos sent to jail

HE ATTENDED INTERVIEW FOR TUTOR JOB

- By ESTHER HALLIGAN

A former deputy head who is barred from teaching after he was found with indecent images of children, has been hauled back before court and jailed.

Richard Swinnerton, 36, worked at a Middlesbrough primary school when his home was raided by the National Crime Agency more than five years ago.

The teacher had been watching child rape videos on the dark web and he had stored 87 videos and images of the most depraved category.

One of the videos was 36 minutes long and depicted a child, aged between six and eight, being abused. Another showed a child, aged two or three, being sexually assaulted.

Following his arrest in May 2020, Swinnerton resigned from his role at St Clare's Catholic Primary School in Acklam, Middlesbrough.

It emerged that he had been watching the illegal material on his laptop, while his wife and child were at home. He later admitted being attracted to children and was handed a 10-month sentence, suspended for two years.