A former vice-principal at a London primary school, who pleaded guilty to bribing and ordering Indian teenagers to abuse younger children, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday.
Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich in south London was arrested by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) last November after investigators determined he was sharing abusive material on the dark web and has now been convicted at Southwark Crown Court in London.
According to the NCA, Smith was online at the time of his arrest, talking to a teenager living in India and asking him to send sexual images of a younger child in exchange for money. He also opened shady child abuse websites and forums on his computer.
Helen Dore, the senior NCA official, said: “Matthew Smith is a prolific offender and master manipulator, forcing young men to abuse children in his name. “He was constantly looking for opportunities to approach children but was very good at hiding his sexual preference for them. He committed a crime while serving as a teacher and pastoral leader - a profound betrayal of the trust placed in him.
"It's clear that Smith has absolutely no empathy for his victims and the harm he has caused them. He poses a very real and substantial risk to children, but the investigation is clear. This investigation ensures that he will spend a lot of time in prison," she said. speak.
Smith is also on an indefinite sexual abuse restraining order and has been placed on the sex offender registry for life. The NCA emphasizes that it is committed to working online and abroad, working with global partners to ensure children are protected and offenders like Smith brought to justice.
Agency investigators searched chat logs and financial transactions and were able to determine that Smith paid this same teenager and another teenager also in India, a total of £65,398 for abuse child use over a five-year period.
Chat logs show that Smith would ask young men to perform sex acts on boys and send them pictures and videos as examples of what he wanted in return.
Smith also gave one of them advice on how to befriend children and build their confidence to prepare for their abuse. He worked extensively in orphanages and NGOs across India from 2007 to 2014, then lived in Nepal and worked in a school. British investigators have found evidence that Smith may have committed crimes against children while working in India. The NCA has shared the information with Indian authorities and said it will continue to work with them to identify and protect the victims.
Smith returned to the UK in July 2022 and began working at a primary school in London in September of the same year, where he was vice-principal and head of pastoral care. At the time, he was found to have posted an online ad for roommates in which he said he was an elementary school teacher and could help with childcare.
