Paedophile teacher banned from profession after more than 120,000 child abuse images found on laptop

A former teacher who was found with more than 120,000 images of child abuse on his devices has been banned from teaching for life.

Matthew Smith, the former deputy headteacher at Thomas’s Battersea Primary School in London, was jailed for 12 years in 2023 after he was found commissioning the sexual abuse of children in India using encrypted messaging services.

The Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) ruled on Thursday that Smith should also be banned from teaching for life.

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to 17 offences relating to child sexual abuse. This included causing the sexual exploitation and abuse of a child, encouraging the rape of a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Smith’s offences took place between June 2016 and November 2022 while he was living and working as a teacher in Nepal.

He moved back to the UK in July 2022, where he began working as a deputy head teacher and head of pastoral care at Thomas’s Battersea Primary School.

There has been no evidence to suggest Smith’s offences were against children based in the UK.

Smith was arrested at his home in East Dulwich, south-east London, by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The NCA found evidence on his laptop that revealed that Smith was using Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, to discuss receiving and sending indecent images of children.

Chat logs revealed that Smith requested indecent images of children in exchange for money. Children under the age of 13 were abused and videoed or photographed as a result of his requests, the CPS said.

More than 120,000 indecent images of children aged from three months to 13 years old were uncovered by officers from Smith’s laptop, iPhone and an SD card.

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.”