A teacher groomed a child and started a sexual relationship with her, a court has heard. Edward Curtis, was charged with sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust, and appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Monday, July 3, 2023.
He was charged with seven counts of the offence, all of which he pleaded not guilty to. He was convicted by a jury on June 12, 2023 of three counts upon one victim. He was found not guilty in regards to four counts relating to another girl. Both children have the right to lifelong anonymity.
Regarding the counts he was convicted on, the court heard how 30-year-old Curtis built a "one to one" relationship with the victim before committing the offences. A statement from the victim detailed the stress and worry caused to her by his actions and the court case, and her "overriding concern that if he could do that to me, he could do that to someone else."
His defence barrister Nicola Powell disputed the degree to which the offences were planned and constituted "grooming," and in mitigation said: "This is a man who has not only lost his job, he has lost his whole career and his reputation," noting that he "has to accept this."
Miss Powell continued, saying he was "needed at home" to care for his mother after his father died in an accident, and quoted his mother who said he was a "thoughtful," and her "rock."
Curtis, of Darwin Road, Port Talbot, had no previous convictions. Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Curtis to one year in prison. He will also be put on the sex offender register for 10 years and will have to obey a restraining order in relation to the victim for three years.
