Another jail sentence at school for scandal, as class supervisor with pregnant wife admits sex with pupil, 15

A CLASS supervisor at a Yorkshire school where a series of staff members admitted relationships with students was sentenced to more than three years in jail today for having under-age sex with a 15-year--old pupil.

Christopher Reen, 32, is the fifth member of staff at Headlands School in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, to have faced the courts in recent years in relation to inappropriate sexual conduct.

Reen, of Carlton Street, Bridlington, admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child under 16 at a hearing earlier this year. He also admitted one count of sexual activity in breach of trust.

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Judge David Tremberg, sitting at Grimsby Crown Court, told the martial arts instructor he had "only yourself to blame" for his predicament.

He said: "Your behaviour undermines public confidence in the school system.

"Your behaviour has tarnished and damaged the reputation at the school where you were then a master which was already tarnished by others.

"And also, your behaviour tarnished the proud and valuable reputation and work of your profession."

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"It is important that the courts send out a message that teachers who are inclined to act as you did will be locked up for years," he told him.

Reen, dressed in a dark suit and pink tie, looked close to tears and was shaking as the judge sentenced him to 40 months in jail.

He was also made subject to a stringent sexual offences prevention order which restricts his contact with young girls for an indefinite period of time.

The public gallery was packed with relatives of the victim and his own family as the case was outlined.

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The court was told Reen bombarded the victim with sexually explicit text messages. He even sent the girl a message during a class which he was teaching and she was attending.

Reen started work as a cover supervisor at the school in June 2008 and replaced a teacher whose case was still going through the courts.

He was given a full induction when he began his job in which the deputy headteacher warned him about the previous problem at the school.

But the married father, whose wife was pregnant when he embarked on the relationship, began seeing the girl soon after she applied to join a martial arts club run by Reen.

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The court was told the defendant had sex with the girl at his home when his wife was away but also at other locations.

Prosecuting, Helen Hendry said: "He knew she was 15 years old and knew she had filled in a date-of-birth form at the martial arts club. He knew she was a Year 10 pupil.

"He knew his predecessor was on police bail and had been suspended for having a sexual relationship with a pupil.

"He knew two previous members of staff were in prison for having relationships with other pupils.

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"He had not just information provided to him - he had face-to-face meetings with the deputy head, he had one-to-one meetings with him on how he should behave with pupils and he had induction and training courses.

"Despite all that history and guidance given to him, within a few weeks he had commenced a sexual relationship with (the girl)."

Police found evidence of 800 text messages or calls to the girl from Reen's mobile, between July 12 and October 8 2008, and on one occasion he sent the teenager a photograph of his genitals, the court heard.

Reen, who was 30 at the time, did not deny having a full sexual relationship with the girl but claimed he did not know she was under-age.

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In mitigation, Anil Murray said his client was full of remorse and accepted that his actions had let down his family, the victim and the school involved.

He said the relationship was consensual but accepted his actions had a "significant impact on the people that he loves".

He said that, when Reen embarked on the relationship, he was under considerable personal pressure and he has sought help to address his problems.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Kay Durrant said: "I would like to thank the victim for her immense courage throughout this investigation.

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"It is a difficult time for any young person, being a teenager and growing up, and adding this incredibly upsetting event into anyone's life can have shattering effects.

"Reen targeted a vulnerable young person and groomed her into having a sexual relationship with him. I hope he reflects on his actions with regret and the victim and her family can move on with their lives.

"The sentence should reassure the victim and send a strong message to everyone that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.

"I would encourage not only teachers, but parents and young people to play their part and stay vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police or the local authority.

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The family issued a statement following the sentencing: "I hope lessons will be learnt for our situation and therefore fewer families suffer the way we have.

"Schools are not an open playground for would-be sex offenders to groom and form sexual relationships with our children.

"We should feel safe and secure when leaving our children in a position of trust and hope this event will warn anyone planning on targeting our children, the police and schools do not tolerate this."

The statement added that they hoped "this sad event" would change people's opinions and educate students about the dangers of grooming including the use of Facebook and other social networking sites.

It concluded: "My daughter and the rest of my family are happy with today's sentence and we hope to now start rebuilding our lives."