Found with 14,500 disgusting photographs of children, a paedophile teacher, Melvyn Carter, reported to police he was looking at them for research purposes — thereby enabling the removal of them from the Internet.
Eventually, though, science master Melvyn Carter, who taught at Heathfield Community College managed by East Sussex County Council at the time of his arrest in August 2011, realised this was a lie.
While still employed as a teacher, he admitted he had been staring at such pictures for “several years”.
Melvyn Carter has spent fifteen months behind bars now.
Five months after his first arrest, the 69-year-old left the school in Cade Street, Heathfield in November 2011.
Students at the institution yesterday reported shock.
One former pupil called Melvyn Carter “sick,” not revealing her identity.
Another student said: “I can’t believe it.”
“Melvyn Carter formerly worked at the college as a cover supervisor and, before that, as a teacher,” said Heathfield head teacher Alan Powell.
“We acted right away when we learned of these claims.
“We brought the matter to the Independent Safeguarding Authority after he was sacked from his post in November 2011 following an internal personnel inquiry.
“None of the acts he was accused of have anything to do with the institution or any students there. Nor had any past worries of this kind surfaced concerning him.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Melvyn Carter resigned immediately after being arrested in August 2011; he was a teacher at Heathfield Community School.
” There was no evidence of any link between the school and his offending, which was carried out on his home computer.”
Lewes Crown Court – Melvyn Carter, of Malvern Way, Hastings, was also given a ten-year sexual offence prevention order severely restricting his access to minors and computers and will have to register as a sex offender on release from jail.
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