Teacher jailed for molesting school pupils

A teacher who was convicted of sexual offences against two schoolboys has been jailed for three years.

Carol Ann White, 39, abused both boys while employed at two different North Lanarkshire primary schools.

A police investigation was launched when it was discovered she had been texting a 12-year-old boy during the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Their phones were analysed and a total of 1,185 messages had been exchanged over a three-week period.

White, from Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, had denied two charges of engaging in sexual activity with the boys between August 2018 and May 2020.

But jurors took just over an hour to find her guilty following a seven-day trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

Risk to the public

They had been told that White asked the 12-year-old to touch himself intimately on FaceTime and sent revealing photos of herself.

In later interviews with police, the boy, who has special educational needs, revealed he had been kissed 50 times by her on the lips during a school trip to an outdoor activity centre near Oban, Argyll.

He also said White had groped him while watching the film Titanic and had also forced his hand down the front of her trousers.

The probe led police to an 11-year-old boy who said White had kissed him on the lips in a school store cupboard.

In a series of interviews with officers, the boy revealed White had held his head against her groin and rubbed him with her breasts.

The mother-of-two wept as she was jailed by Sheriff Morag Shankland and placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

White will also be on licence for 18 months following her release from prison after the sheriff ruled she posed a risk to the public.

'Breach of trust'

Following the sentencing hearing, the mother of the 11-year-old boy said: "I'm just glad she got jailed.

"Concerns had been raised in the school about her being overly familiar with pupils but yet she was allowed to move on and target a vulnerable boy.

"The whole thing is shocking and I feel as if I've had no support for the last two years."

First offender White, who still denies any sexual activity took place, had earlier pleaded guilty to possessing eight indecent images of the 12-year-old boy.

Sheriff Shankland said: "There is no sentence this court can impose which can in any way alleviate the harm you have caused to the children involved and the court wishes to commend the bravery of those children and their parents for the way they gave evidence.

"You have been convicted of a serious breach of trust and you have shown absolutely no remorse for these actions.

"The only appropriate sentence is one of imprisonment."

After her conviction, Derek Brown, deputy chief executive of North Lanarkshire Council, said: "This has been an appalling abuse of trust by someone who exploited her position and carried out a targeted, predatory campaign to betray two vulnerable children who should have felt safe and supported in her care.

"Our thoughts are with the young people affected and their families."