Published date: 05 January 2017 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A “gifted and dedicated” teacher whose career is now in tatters after he was convicted of downloading indecent images of children has been jailed for eight months.
Mark Haslock, 47, at the time head of design and technology at Ysgol y Grango at Rhos near Wrexham, had suffered a significant fall from grace, after a “darker side to his character” emerged, Mold Crown Court was told.
In addition to the prison sentence yesterday, he was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for the next ten years.
Haslock, of Victoria Road in Llandudno, was made the subject of a 10 year sexual harm prevention order to curb his future activities.
Judge Peter Heywood told him that the safeguarding authorities would prevent him from working with children or vulnerable adults in the future.
At an earlier trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, a jury convicted him of making and possessing indecent images of children, and taking an indecent image between June 2014 and August 2015.
He was cleared of a charge of voyeurism.
The defendant was arrested after police found more than 1,200 images on two computers seized at his home in August last year. More than 280 were of the most graphic category.
Judge Heywood, speaking via a live link from Swansea Crown Court, said Haslock was a man of good character who gave up a career in engineering to become a teacher after studying at Bangor University.
His professor there spoke of him in the highest terms and the judge said he had read a reference from a young man from Northern Ireland who the defendant had helped maintain his teaching career and who clearly regarded the defendant as a role model.
“You are a gifted and dedicated teacher of the highest quality,” the judge said.
He had taught at Woodchurch High School on The Wirral and then became head of department at Ysgol Grango, Rhos.
But the judge said there was “a darker and different side to his character” that emerged during the trial.
Police had recovered 289 images of the most serious category A, 297 category B and 624 category C, involving children as young as four.
The defendant had used search terms which could only have been directed at finding such material.
His explanations, that they were downloaded when he tried to get material for sex education courses and to help with his master’s degree, were rejected by the jury.
The judge described some of his explanations as farcical.
“You are still in denial about these matters and don’t accept that you deliberately searched for such material,” the judge told him. But that flew in the face of the compelling evidence called before the jury.
“It gives me no pleasure to sentence you.
“This is a significant fall from grace,” Judge Heywood told him.
“You are a talented teacher, a devoted husband and family man highly regarded by friends and professionals alike.”
The court heard that the defendant’s wife was also a teacher – but the judge said that the teaching profession would no longer be available to him.
“I take the view that I would be failing in my public duty if I did anything other than impose an immediate custodial sentence,” he told the defendant.
Defending barrister David Toal said the case did pass the custody threshold but asked the court to draw back and impose a suspended prison sentence.
He had already been punished significantly as had his innocent family.
The defendant had lost his employment which had been extremely important to him.
“His was a dedicated and professional teacher held in the highest regard,” said Mr Toal.
There had been significant publicity which was also a punishment to him.
His health had suffered and he had sought the professional help of a therapist.
Any custodial sentence would be relatively short but would have “a massive impact” on the defendant and his family, he said.
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/170952/wrexham-teacher-who-had-more-than-1-200-indecent-images-of-children-is-jailed.aspx
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