Teachers at George and Charlotte’s old school charged with 17 sex offenses | British News
The former deputy principal of a primary school that Prince George and Princess Charlotte previously attended has been charged with 17 other child sex offenses.
Matthew Smith, 34, worked at Thomas’s Battersea school in south London, which earned £20,000 a year.
Last year he admitted five charges of making and distributing indecent images of children – but the National Crime Agency has now charged him with 17 other offences.
The five previously admitted charges were not related to his time at Thomas’s Battersea – or to children in Nepal, where he worked at a school for several years.
Smith returned to the UK from Nepal in July 2022 and began working at the primary school two months later.
His employment was terminated immediately after the school was informed of the charges.
Today, Smith appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was charged with 17 offenses in connection with the alleged commission of child sex abuse in India via the internet between 2017 and 2022.
The charges include encouraging the rape of a child under the age of 13, inducing a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and organizing the sexual abuse of a child.
He is also accused of six counts of producing and distributing over 120,000 indecent pictures of AC children.
Smith will appear at Southwark Crown Court on June 20.
Helen Dore, senior officer at the National Crime Agency, said: “Child sexual abuse, committed online and across borders, poses a significant threat to the UK and the NCA is committed to tackling it.”
“We are committed to prosecuting the most dangerous criminals and protecting all children who may be at risk in the UK and around the world.”
By the end of the 2021/22 school year, Prince William’s two eldest children were attending Thomas’s Battersea Preparatory School.
When her family moved from Kensington Palace to a cottage in the grounds of the Windsor Castle estate, the children transferred to Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire.
A spokesman for Thomas’s Battersea previously told MailOnline: “We were shocked and dismayed to learn of these allegations.” The safety and welfare of our students is and will remain our top priority.
“As criminal proceedings are currently pending, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time other than to say that there is no indication that the offenses relate to Mr Smith’s employment with Thomas or to current or former students.”
“As soon as the school learned of the allegations, Mr Smith’s employment at the school, which began in September 2022, was terminated with immediate effect.”
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