PUPILS filmed themselves chanting "paedo" at their former maths teacher before he was arrested for having sex with a young girl.

Footage shows Matthew McCarthy, 46, being heckled during a football match between staff and students at Barton Court Grammar School in Canterbury, Kent.

3 This is the moment Matthew McCarthy was called a 'paedo' by pupils during a teachers versus students football match Credit: Kent Online

3 McCarthy was jailed for five years after admitting to a string of sex offences Credit: Kent Police

"Creep" McCarthy was jailed for five years on Monday after admitting repeatedly having sex with his victim, bombarding her with thousands of text messages and taking and downloading indecent images of her.

The video was taken in March - two months before he was arrested for sex offences after abusing his victim over the course of a year.

Sentencing McCarthy, Judge Simon Thomas said he had preyed on his victim.

He said: “It is only now that she is free of your influence that she has come to understand just how abusive, coercive and controlling your relationship with her was.

“I consider that your behaviour, including your intimate, sexualised and regular communications amounted to a process of grooming her.

“While your deluded thinking and endeavours to contact your victim and her family following your arrest are concerning, your convictions make it highly unlikely that you will be placed in such close contact with children in the future.”

Pupils said he had made “inappropriate comments” to girls.

One student, who asked not to be named, said: "He couldn't even walk down corridors without people shouting things about him.

"The way in which he acted led to plenty of speculation. There had been rumours about his behaviour for months and months.

"Lots of girls had said they thought he was creepy due to the inappropriate comments he had made to them since he started at the school."

'CREEPY'

McCarthy, who had been teaching at the school since 2016, was arrested at his home after police were alerted by someone who witnessed him touching his victim.

He later admitted to arranging to have his victim to stay overnight at his home and on one occasion he proposed to her.

Police found 500 images of the girl on McCarthy's mobile phone when it was seized.

McCarthy was found in breach of his bail conditions following his arrest and suspension from work after he continued to contact his victim and even sent a love letter.

He sent another letter to the girl's mum apologising for what happened.

McCarthy pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to four counts of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual conversation and taking and making explicit images.

Prosecuting, Simon Taylor, told the court McCarthy cultivated what his victim described as a "father and daughter-style relationship", which turned sexual.

He said: “The victim said she thinks the defendant took advantage of her because he saw that she was vulnerable and he pushed her as far as she would go.

“She said that sex was something she had nightmares about, and the defendant saw it as a point on which he could go forward.

"The defendant asked for her to delete messages, he told her of the consequences, and told her his life was in her hand.”

It is only now that she is free of your influence that she has come to understand just how abusive, coercive and controlling your relationship with her was. Judge Simon Thomas

Disturbing texts McCarthy sent to his victim were also read out in court as her family sat in the public gallery.

Mitchell Cohen, mitigating, said McCarthy was emotionally unstable at time of the attacks and had said he “needed to be needed.”

Upon McCarthy's release from prison he will be subject to a restraining order - banning him from contacting his victim - and a sexual harm prevention order imposing strict conditions on his living and work arrangements.

A statement issued by Barton Court at the conclusion of the case said: "We were appalled to hear of the serious misconduct by this former teacher.

"At the time of his appointment in September 2016 he had passed all safer recruitment checks including enhanced DBS, barred list check and previous employment checks.

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"After his arrest he was immediately suspended. He was then dismissed from the Trust after admitting the offences".

"He has been referred to the DBS barring service and the Teaching Council and will therefore not be able to work in any aspect of education in the future.

"The safeguarding of all our students is our highest priority and all such concerns have always been rigorously pursued by the school, including in this case, involving all associated external agencies such as Kent County Council Safeguarding Team and the local police, and agreed measures put in place to protect our students."

3 McCarthy started teaching at this grammar school in 2016 Credit: .

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