Former teacher who had over 1,000 images of naked children walks free

A former teacher at an elite boys’ school who stored thousands of indecent images of children on his work computers has been spared jail in the UK.

 

Anthony Fuggle was a classics master at Colet Court, the junior division of St Paul’s Preparatory School in Barnes, south-west London.

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Fuggle, 58, admitted six counts of possessing indecent images of children and seven counts of making indecent images of children on or before September 10 2013.

 

He was found to be in possession of more than 1,000 still and moving images of children.

Investigations also revealed that he had downloaded almost 2,000 images of youngsters – some as young as 12 – which included topless boys in shorts, boys on a beach and naked boys.

 

Four counts of making indecent images of the most severe level, category A, were left to lie on file after he pleaded not guilty to them.

Fuggle was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Kingston Crown Court.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for six years, and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until further notice.

 

At an earlier hearing Jane Humphryes QC, defending, said her client had been trying to address his problems: “He has been seeking help for a number of months now – there is a limit to actual help he can find at this stage.

“He has been seeing a therapist at least once a week.”

The former teacher from Sutton in Surrey is reported to have resigned from his post at the prestigious school after he was arrested in September 2013.

He was caught that month when IT maintenance was carried out at the school and a number of indecent images of boys were discovered on Fuggle’s work computer.

The school reported the matter to police and officers arrested him at the school on September 10 2013.

 

He was the first person charged under the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Winthorpe.

The investigation was set up to investigate allegations of historic sexual abuse and misconduct at St Paul’s and Colet Court.

 

Detective Constable Ben Lamkin, of the Met’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “It’s important to remember that the children in the pictures have been exploited and abused for the gratification of Fuggle and others like him.”

SundayNews