Yorkshire deputy headteacher blamed school workload for raping 14-year-old boy

A South Yorkshire secondary school deputy headteacher who raped a 14-year-old boy and kept indecent images of children on his phone blamed his workload for making him a sexual predator.
By Lucy Leeson
Published 3rd Feb 2020, 17:28 GMT
Christopher Darler, of Heyhouse Way, Sheffiield, was the deputy headteacher at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham when he raped the boy, who was not a pupil at the school, in September last year.Christopher Darler, of Heyhouse Way, Sheffiield, was the deputy headteacher at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham when he raped the boy, who was not a pupil at the school, in September last year.
Christopher Darler, of Heyhouse Way, Sheffiield, was the deputy headteacher at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham when he raped the boy, who was not a pupil at the school, in September last year.

Christopher Darler, of Heyhouse Way, Sheffield, was the deputy headteacher at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham when he raped the boy, who was not a pupil at the school, in September last year.

Darler, 37, was arrested by police in October after intelligence alerted officers to the fact he had uploaded an indecent image of a child to the internet.

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Following his arrest and a detailed review of his devices, officers discovered WhatsApp chats he had been having with a 14-year-old boy.

It transpired Darler had met with the teenager on one occasion and had sex with him, twice, in September 2019.

He was rearrested on December 18, and later charged with two counts of rape of a child under 16.

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Darler pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child under 16 and the meeting of a child following sexual grooming at an earlier hearing on January 17 at Sheffield Crown Court. He also admitted storing indecent images of children on his phone.

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Appearing at the same court on Monday, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sentencing Darler, Judge Peter Kelson said: "You are a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used the sheep's clothing to full effect. You were a predator, you took your fantasy into the real world.

"To blame your workload is appalling mitigation, your workload did not turn you into sexual predator of children.

"You were a predator preying on a child, your workload is not to blame, to raise this as mitigation is a disgusting insult to all hard working teachers."

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DC James Crossley, from South Yorkshire Police’s internet sex offences team said: “Darler was in a position of trust and authority, while, at the same time, preying on a boy of similar age to the children he was trusted to be responsible for.

“This was a fast-paced investigation and the outcome would not have been possible without the cooperation of the victim and his family, who have shown a great deal of bravery over the past few months.

“Although no children from the school where Darler taught were involved in his crimes, this was understandably a very worrying set of circumstances for parents and I commend the school for their continued support and proactive approach with this case.