Andrew Shelton

Andrew Shelton, a 52-year-old assistant head teacher from Halesowen, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court for a series of online sexual offences against young girls. Shelton, who worked at Harborne Primary School in Birmingham, engaged in 'disgusting' and 'filthy' conversations with girls aged between 10 and 15, attempting to lure them into sending explicit images via Skype. These systematic offences spanned several years, dating back to at least 2014, and were conducted for his personal sexual gratification.

The court heard that Shelton, a married father, derived a 'buzz' from these interactions, even making contact with the youngsters while at work. He targeted girls through various chat rooms, none of whom were pupils at his school. In one instance, he told a 12-year-old girl that she was 'hot and sexy as hell' and expressed a desire to 'hold, stroke and teach her to enjoy her body'. Prosecutor Hugh O'Brien Quinn described how Shelton deliberately incited the girls to engage in sexual activity, noting that on 28 September 2015, he propositioned a 13-year-old girl for a weekend in Birmingham and discussed sex with older men, admitting he knew it was wrong and illegal, and referring to himself as a paedophile.

Shelton's activities came to light in March and April of the previous year when he contacted an individual named Chelsea, who claimed to be 13 and described as a 'real stunner'. Unbeknownst to Shelton, Chelsea was an undercover police officer from West Midlands Police. This led to his arrest on 17 July following a raid on his home at Woodman Close, Halesowen, where officers discovered 93 indecent images of young girls on his laptop, believed to have been obtained through his online conversations.

Shelton pleaded guilty to eight charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child, inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and possession of indecent images of children. Sentencing him, Judge Jinder Singh Boora remarked: 'These were systematic offences committed over a period of years. Some of the language used was disgusting and filthy when you thought you were conversing with children. You are a man who should have known better.'

In mitigation, defence barrister Sophie Murray highlighted that Shelton, who suffers from spina bifida, had voluntarily sought help to address his addiction to young girls following his arrest. She noted the severe personal consequences, stating: 'He has lost everything; his job, his wife, his relationship with his children. He is at rock bottom.' Detective Sergeant Rob Grace from West Midlands Police's Public Protection Unit commented after the hearing: 'Shelton was trying to coerce children over the internet and encourage them to send inappropriate images. He was a role model for young people as a teacher but away from the classroom he preyed on them for his own gratification.'