A teacher from East Dulwich who pleaded guilty to child sex abuse crimes has been charged with an additional seventeen counts.
Matthew Smith, 34, was deputy head at the prestigious Thomas’s Prep School in Battersea – attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
His charges, however, relate to allegations of him commissioning the sexual abuse of children in India, via the internet, before he started working at the school.
They include six counts of making and distributing over 120,000 indecent images of children (IIOC), which include category A material – the most serious.
Announcing the new charges, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said it was “committed to tackling… child sex abuse committed online and across borders”.
Matthew Smith, who is Oxford University educated according to his LinkedIn profile, was first arrested at his East Dulwich home on November 6 last year.
He was charged with causing and inciting the sexual abuse of a child under thirteen, distributing IIOC in category A, and three counts of making IIOC in categories A-C.
The teacher pleaded guilty to those charges days after his arrest and has been in custody ever since.
On Tuesday, May 23, Smith was charged with seventeen more counts, including encouraging the rape of a child under thirteen, causing a child under thirteen to engage in sexual activity, and arranging the sexual abuse of a child.
From 2017 to 2022, Smith spent the majority of this time living in Nepal and working at a school there, the NCA said.
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The charges relate to this period and involve the sexual abuse of children in India that Smith is suspected of commissioning.
The investigation has found no evidence that Smith committed crimes against children based in Nepal or the UK.
He moved back to the UK in July 2022.
Following Smith’s November arrest, principals at Thomas’s Prep School shared a statement saying: “I do not for a minute underestimate the shocking and deeply concerning nature of this news. Our focus right now is on our pupils, parents and colleagues… please do not hesitate to contact any of the following members of our leadership team.”
Responding to the most recent charges, Helen Dore, Senior Officer at the NCA, said: “Child sexual abuse committed online and across borders is a substantial threat to the UK, and it’s one the NCA is committed to tackling.
“We are dedicated to pursuing the most dangerous offenders and to protecting any child who may be at risk, in the UK and across the globe.”
Smith is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 20 June 2023.