PAUL HASSALL SHAME TEACHER IN WORSLEY FOUND WITH CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IMAGES

In February 2006, a teacher from Worsley, Paul Hassall, was publicly shamed after being found to have downloaded more than 150 images depicting child sexual abuse. Hassall, aged 43, will never be permitted to work in educational settings again. Although he avoided prison, he faced various court orders after admitting to 16 charges of making indecent images and one of possessing such images. He is now prohibited for an indefinite period from working in schools, organizing sports trips, or having unsupervised contact with children under 16.

Hassall, a resident of Greenleach Lane, Worsley, had an extensive teaching career spanning 20 years, during which he taught mathematics, history, and swimming. He had worked in Bolton for over 15 years, where he also taught water polo, organized school sports events, and was actively involved as a church warden and historian.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that in December 2004, police seized a disc, a computer, and a laptop from his home. Prosecutor Stuart Denny stated that investigators found 900 indecent images on these devices, including 151 images categorized at varying levels of severity. The images had been downloaded over a period from December 2002 to December 2004, while Hassall was employed as a teacher. The court was informed that he had conducted internet searches using terms related to young boys.

Mr. Denny explained Hassall’s response to the charges: "He said he had not purposefully saved the images but because they were individually numbered folders, the Crown takes issue."

Hassall was ordered to complete a three-year community rehabilitation order and to register as a sex offender for five years. The court also noted that a charge of abusing his position of trust through sexual activity with a child was dropped after the alleged victim chose not to continue with the trial.

He was suspended from his school—whose identity remains confidential—back in November 2004, and resigned from his position in December of the following year. In sentencing, Judge Carter QC remarked: "You did it for your own personal satisfaction and sexual gratification. To behave in the way you did is totally unacceptable in our society. You gave no thought to the children, to how they had been used to provide the images."

The Department for Education and Skills stated that it would not comment on specific cases but emphasized that anyone convicted or charged with downloading internet pornography would be barred from working in schools.