Former Teacher Sentenced for Grooming Teenager

A former teacher who groomed a teenage girl after sending a video of himself carrying out a sex act and asking her if he could whip her with his tie has been sentenced to 30 months in prison.

David Amos, 30, was tasked with contacting the County Durham student during the early days of the Covid pandemic. Instead, he used the opportunity to engage in sexual conversations with the girl.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the sexualized talk began on Snapchat and moved to other social media platforms. Prosecutor Richard Bennett said Amos coerced the teenager to send a naked photo after he had sent her multiple images of his penis. He sent over 700 messages, including ones where he offered to whip her with his tie and tried to persuade her to go to a wooded area so he could photograph her.

Mr. Bennett added, "The conversation turned sexual with the defendant asking her if she had done anything sexual with anyone else. It then progressed to the male defendant sending selfies with his penis out standing in front of the mirror."

The online conversation continued in a sexual manner for several weeks after moving to Skype. Mr. Bennett stated, "She sent him a picture of her bare bottom, and he sent her a picture of him masturbating." There was a break in communication before Amos renewed contact in August and asked the girl to engage in sexual activity. She replied, "It would be weird because he was a teacher."

Mr. Bennett said, "There was grooming behavior, to a degree, because this was a long conversation that has taken place over a number of weeks."

Amos, of Lumley Road, Durham, pleaded guilty to causing a child to watch sexual activity and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

In mitigation, Amrit Jandoo said his client had struggled during lockdown after his relationship collapsed but understood his behavior would end his promising teaching career. He added, "There are extensive messages during that period of time, and not all of those messages were of that nature. There were messages where he tried to help the girl, and he was carrying out his duties properly."

Judge Chris Smith sentenced Amos to a total of 30 months in custody. "Over the course of several months, you engaged in sexualized conversation with her, that sexualized contact started quite quickly after you contacted her on Snapchat. In the course of that conversation, you sent her a video of you masturbating," he said.

"I have read some of the messages; there is a degree of cajoling or pressurising her to engage in sexual activity within the context of what is a gross breach of trust."

Amos was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for life and was made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.