CHELTENHAM TEACHER BENJAMIN CLAY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND ABUSE

In May 2010, Benjamin Clay, a 35-year-old teacher from Cheltenham, was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of possessing nearly 190,000 indecent images of children on his computer. The court also heard that Clay had admitted to molesting a former pupil, Laura Morse, who had harbored a schoolgirl crush on him during her time at Pittville School in Cheltenham.

Laura Morse, now 24, came forward to police after reading in her local newspaper last year that Clay had been arrested on charges related to child pornography. She recounted to detectives that during her early teens, specifically between the ages of 11 and 13, she had developed feelings for Clay, who was her English teacher at Pittville School. Her feelings, however, took a dark turn when she revealed that Clay had taken her to a park on one occasion, where he kissed her and touched her inappropriately. These acts of abuse left a lasting impact on her, and she chose to waive her right to anonymity to speak out about her experiences.

Miss Morse expressed her deep disappointment with the length of Clay’s sentence, stating, “I am absolutely gutted at what he got. I was expecting it would be a lot longer.” She emphasized that no prison time could undo the pain inflicted upon her, saying, “No amount of years he spends in prison will take my hurt and anger away. Part of my childhood has been taken away and my memories are now tainted. Nothing will ever make that right.”

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Clay, a father of two and a devout Christian, had committed multiple offenses. These included four counts of possessing indecent images, one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice, two counts of indecent assault on Laura Morse, and one count of gross indecency with her. Judge William Hart sentenced Clay to three years in prison, and additionally ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for life. Clay was also placed on a list of individuals barred from working with children.

The judge imposed a sexual offences prevention order, which restricts Clay from engaging in activities such as taking photographs of children, except for his own two daughters, aged one and five. The court heard that Clay had brought shame and disgrace upon himself, his family, and his mother. Judge Hart remarked, “You have turned yourself really from a pillar of society into a pariah. At the age of 35, you have marked yourself in a way which will be indelible.”

Further details emerged during the trial, with prosecutor Mary Harley revealing that police had visited Clay’s Cheltenham home on November 25 of the previous year as part of an investigation into a German child pornography ring. During the search, officers seized computer equipment, but Clay attempted to destroy evidence by cooking and burning two hard drives. He was subsequently arrested on November 30.

Harley described the graphic content found on Clay’s computer, which included organized files containing approximately 190,000 indecent images. The images were classified mainly at the lowest level of seriousness on a scale of one to five. The court was visibly disturbed as she detailed the nature of the videos and images, which depicted exploitative material involving children.

Defense lawyer David Webster stated that Clay’s life and career had been left in ruins and expressed remorse for his actions. He acknowledged the gravity of Clay’s position as a teacher, emphasizing that this was a significant aspect of his offenses. Webster concluded by highlighting Clay’s profound remorse and the devastating impact of his crimes on his personal life.