Sick school governor from Plymouth jailed for posing as teen swimmer to lure girls into sex actsMatthew Curtain, aged 37, pretended to be a 15-year-old and even claimed his sister had been murdered to gain the trust of the youngsters, a court heard.
Taxi driver Curtain persuaded two young girls to talk about sex, perform lewd acts on themselves and send him naked pictures.
Jailing him for three years and eight months today, Judge Paul Darlow said: "You, Mr Curtain, join a depressingly expanding list of males
prepared to create on social media a fictitious profile with the express purpose of ensnaring and grooming young girls to perform sexual acts for your pleasure over the webcam.
You were not an athletically-honed 15 to 16-year-old but, if I may say so, a somewhat overweight 30 something taxi driver, which, as you knew, would have brought things to a shuddering halt if the girls knew. You held a position of trust as a governor in a secondary school, though these offences did not involve a breach of that trust in any way."
The court heard that Curtain was in touch with females – their ages are not known – all over the UK.
Police found 16,000 lines of chat on Skype.
The defendant has since stood down as a governor and lost his job as a taxi driver.
He pleaded guilty to six offences of inciting sexual activity with a child, three of possessing indecent photographs of children, possession of extreme pornography and possession of a prohibited image of a child.
Nigel Wraith, on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Curtain, of Milehouse Road, made contact with his first victim, aged 14, in 2014.
He told the girl he was a talented swimmer at Kelly College.
He gave his address as Penlee Gardens, in Peverell, and sent her fake profile pictures, showing off his supposed muscles.
The messages then moved to Skype, an online video chat service, where Curtain "dared" the girl to perform sexual acts which he would watch.
Curtain arranged to meet one victim at the Life Centre
There was also some suggestion he had asked her to perform a sexual act on herself using an aerosol can, the court heard.
Mr Wraith explained: "He made it a challenge for her because she was shy.
"She wanted to prove herself and so she did it."
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, agreed to be Curtain's girlfriend, not knowing his real identity, and agreed to meet with him at the Life Centre in Plymouth.
"He is deeply embarrassed by what he has done," Mr Norsworthy added.
"He gave up his taxi licence and he resigned his position as a school governor too.
"He has signed on the sexual offenders register for life.
"He has no money; he hasn't worked since his arrest."
Curtain claimed he was a student at Kelly College in Tavistock
"He has had his house repossessed with a substantial debt and he lives with his parents."
An NSPCC spokesman for South West England said after the case: "Curtain contacted vulnerable young girls online and hid behind a web of lies in an effort to earn their trust so he could sexually abuse and exploit them.
"This appalling case of grooming acts as a sober reminder that while the online world offers many opportunities for children, it also creates new risks - including the potential for damaging communication with strangers.
"The NSPCC would urge parents and carers to speak with children from a young age about online safety, equipping them with the skills to navigate the web, in an effort to build trust and openness to keep everyone safe."
For tips on keeping children safe online, visit
http://www.net-aware.org.uk or
http://www.internetmatters.org. Any adult worried about a child's welfare can call the NSPCC's helpline on 0808 800 5000, while children can call Childline on 0800 1111.
Read more at
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sick-sc ... S8EZ4Ji.99NB The Link will take you to the paper to look at pictures for those who find the post too long to read.
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