HEAD TEACHER REMOVED FROM SEX OFFENDERS' REGISTER AFTER CHILD PHOTO CHARGES
A primary school head teacher has been taken off the Sex Offenders' Register one week after admitting making indecent photographs of a child.Rhian DeSouza, aged 43, has been suspended from Ysgol Gymraeg Gellionnen in Clydach, near Swansea, since August.
The order to sign the register was issued at Swansea Crown Court where she was sentenced to a two-year community order.
However, a judge has since removed the order, stating it should only be imposed if the child involved is under 16 years old.
The girl involved was 16 at the time, and she was not a pupil at DeSouza's school.
The court heard that after the girl turned 16, she and DeSouza began a consensual sexual relationship.
The girl had taken two intimate photographs of herself on Snapchat and sent them to DeSouza, which is considered illegal under the law.
Despite this, it was acknowledged as an 'anomaly of the law' that DeSouza could have a lawful sexual relationship with the girl without the photographs, but the judge said she should have known that possessing such photographs was illegal.
DeSouza admitted to two charges and was sentenced to a two-year community order, ordered to complete 25 days of rehabilitation training, 200 hours of unpaid work, and was issued with a sexual harm prevention order.
The case highlighted legal nuances regarding sexual relationships with 16-year-olds, with the court emphasizing her should have been aware that having intimate photographs was illegal, even if the sexual relationship was legal due to her age.
