John Royley: Supply teacher jailed for child sex offences

Police said John Royley "engaged in sexual communication" with an 11-year-old girl

A supply teacher and private tutor who admitted several child sex offences has been jailed for five years.

John Royley, 46, of Salcombe Drive, Leicester, engaged in sexual communication with an 11-year-old girl and was found with more than 1,200 indecent images of children.

A further 330 images were found to have been distributed and then erased - some of the most extreme kind, police said.

None of the indecent images were of children who Royley had taught.

Royley, who worked in Leicestershire and other areas, came under investigation in 2020 when a report was made in relation to a man engaging in sexual communication with an 11-year-old girl on social media.

Leicestershire Police said the investigation led officers to Royley, who was using an alias on the platform.

The girl was not a child who Royley had taught, the force added.

'Inappropriate behaviour'

Royley was arrested and a number of devices were seized including a tablet, laptop and mobile phones, on which officers found hundreds of indecent images stored.

Police said a young woman later reported Royley had taught her when she was younger and had carried out "inappropriate behaviour", including asking her to "kiss and cuddle him".

Royley pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of a child and three counts of distributing indecent images of a child at Leicester Crown Court at an earlier hearing.

He also admitted to engaging in sexual communication with a child and two counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

During sentencing at the same court on Monday, Royley was also placed on the sex offenders' register and and given a sexual harm prevention order for life.