Cheshire teacher jailed for 8 years for child sex offences
Simon Clark preyed on 26 youngsters, who were as young as 10
A French teacher who posed online as a boy to entice teenage girls to send sexual images has been jailed for eight years.
Simon Clark, head of department at the Alun High School, in Mold, North Wales, preyed on 26 youngsters, aged between 10 and 15, Chester Crown Court heard.
The 46-year-old, a father of two, whose wife has since divorced him and his career ended, has "lost everything", the court heard.
He kept his head bowed as he was jailed.
Clark pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile with the name "Jamie_jones6968" to send hundreds of explicit messages to girl, persuading some to send sexual images in return.
Passing sentence, Judge Simon Berkson told the defendant he represented a "significant risk" to children.
Judge Berkson said: "It is, of course, every parent's worst nightmare, this sort of thing happening to their children.
"Many of the offences involve sexual communication, some involving inciting children to engage in sexual activity. This was well planned and sophisticated criminal behaviour.
"You clearly have a sexual interest from the sexual abuse of children and gain sexual gratification from it."
Clark, formerly of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had admitted at earlier hearing to 29 offences; one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, two counts of inciting a child under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, 21 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child under 16, one count of making 26 indecent images of children of Category A, one of making 29 indecent images of children of Category B and one of making 81 indecent images of children of Category C.