A former deputy head teacher at Thomas's prep school in Battersea, which was attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for child sexual abuse offences. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich, south-east London, pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under 13 and arranging child sexual abuse.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested Smith in November 2022, just months after he started his role at Thomas's Battersea. He was caught while online speaking to a teenage boy in India, asking him to send sexual images of a younger child in exchange for money. Officers recovered over 120,000 indecent images of children from his devices.
Smith paid £65,000 for two teenagers in India to abuse younger children. His offending largely occurred while he lived in Nepal, working at a school, and during periods in India between 2007 and 2014. He moved back to the UK in July 2022 and began working at Thomas's Battersea in September 2022.
A spokesman for Thomas's Battersea expressed shock and said Smith's employment was terminated immediately upon learning of the charges. The NCA confirmed no offences related to the school or its pupils. Smith is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
