A teacher has admitted grooming a pupil under his charge.
Patrick Leslie Toogood had been employed at the Step-Ahead Educational Centre on Gors Avenue in Swansea for what is understood to be around 10 years.
He was described in court as having served as the acting head at the specialist educational unit, the South Wales Evening Post reports .
Toogood, of Killan Road in Dunvant, appeared before Swansea Magistrates’ Court, charged with an adult abuse of position of trust, by inciting sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 17.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge, and will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court next month.
Prosecuting, Lisa Jones described the unit as an educational centre for pupils struggling with mainstream education, and said Toogood had become close to the pupil, who she said was “extremely vulnerable”.
She said: “They originally had weekly meetings together, and they became more regular, sometimes on a daily basis.
“She would write her feelings down in a letter, opening up on her innermost fears”.
The court was told Toogood went on to buy the pupil gifts, including a mobile phone, which he would use to message her from a private number, which became increasingly more intimate in nature.
“He said he wanted to have sex with her, and asked her to pleasure herself,” said Mrs Jones.
“When the messages became more crude in nature, she reported it to Childline”.
Police became involved leading to Toogood’s arrest. He pleaded guilty to the charge at his first appearance in court.
District judge Neil Thomas granted Toogood conditional bail ahead of sentencing next month, provided he resides at his home address in Dunvant, has no unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 18, has no contact with his victim, or with Step Ahead.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/teacher-admits-grooming-extremely-vulnerable-12046496
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