Matthew Smith, who was deputy head at Thomas’s in Battersea, was jailed for 12 years in 2023 after used the dark web to encourage men to send him footage of child sexual abuse.
On Thursday, April 29, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) decided that Smith should also be banned from the teaching profession for life.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to 17 charges including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child.
When his home on Chesterfield Grove in East Dulwich was raided in November 2022 Smith told officers: “Clearly I have an addiction, probably in this area. I’m ashamed of who I am. I would do anything to be normal, anything.”
Over 120,000 child sexual abuse images were found on Smith’s computers along with messages to men in India in which he encouraged them to rape and abuse children, prosecutor Martin Hooper told his sentencing hearing.
One of the men he had commissioned to abuse children was someone he had groomed from a young age, the court heard.
Smith offered to pay for the school fees of any young children the men could lure into their web of abuse.
Between 2007 and 2014 Smith spent time working in orphanages and NGOs in India.
Smith’s offending took place while he was living and working in Nepal.
There is no evidence that Smith perpetrated any abuse against children in the UK or in Nepal.
After Smith moved back to the UK and took up a teaching position, he posted an online advert looking to secure a flat share.
In the advert he said he was a primary school teacher and could assist with childcare. He was arrested before he could be taken up on his offer.
Investigators found evidence of potential offending by Smith while he was working in India and information has been shared with Indian police.
TRA decision maker Marc Cavey said: “In this case, I have placed considerable weight on the very serious nature of the misconduct found by the panel, which involved the sexual exploitation of children by a teacher.
“I am also mindful of the lack of evidence of insight or remorse and the likely negative impact of Mr Smith’s actions on the standing of the profession.”
A spokesperson for the Thomas’ school said: “We have been shocked and appalled beyond measure by this matter and are grateful for the work of the police and courts in bringing this man to account.
“Mr Smith’s employment at the school, which commenced in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect when the school first learned of the charges against him in November.
“While the National Crime Agency has confirmed that none of the matters under investigation related to the school or its pupils, these deplorable actions constitute an unforgivable breach of trust and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted or damaged by them.
“As always, we remain absolutely committed to the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our pupils and our whole school community.”
