A former deputy head teacher at Thomas's prep school in Battersea, which Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended, has been jailed for 12 years for child sexual abuse offences. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich, south-east London, paid £65,000 for two teenagers in India to abuse younger children.
Smith was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in November 2022, just months after he had been appointed deputy head of pastoral care at the school. He pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child.
At the time of his arrest, Smith was online speaking to a teenage boy in India, asking him to send sexual images of a younger child in return for money. Officers recovered more than 120,000 indecent images of children from his laptop, SD card, and phone.
The NCA said Smith lived in Nepal, working at a school, and spent periods working in orphanages and NGOs across India between 2007 and 2014. He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomas's Battersea in September. There was no evidence he committed offences against children in Nepal or the UK.
Smith also posted an online advert seeking a flat share, offering childcare assistance, but was arrested before he could be taken up on the offer. He is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
A spokesman for Thomas's Battersea said the school was 'shocked and appalled beyond measure' and terminated Smith's employment immediately upon learning of the charges. The NCA confirmed none of the matters related to the school or its pupils.
