A TEACHER who took advantage of his role to covertly video young boys at private schools has been jailed.

Jeremy Fow, 53, unemployed, of Harrogate Road, Moortown, Leeds, was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on Tuesday 10 March, having pleaded guilty on 10 February to a total of 10 sexual offences, of filming children in showers at three private schools, and making indecent images of children.

He admitted five offences of voyeurism, four offences of taking indecent images of children and one offence of making indecent images of children.

Two offences of possessing indecent images and one of voyeurism related to videos taken by Fow of boys in changing rooms at Sandroyd School in Wiltshire where he was working in 2008.

Two offences of taking indecent images of children, one offence of making indecent images of children, and two offences of voyeurism related to videos of boys in changing rooms and bedrooms that Fow took at Windlesham House School in West Sussex when he was working there in 2013.

Two of the voyeurism offences took place at a summer school where Fow was working in Worcestershire in July 2014, relating to a boy under 13 at the time.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to digital devices and children.

The sentencing follows an investigation by detectives from the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit which began when allegations against Fow were reported for the first time in 2018.

Detective Constable Andy Roe of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said; "In 2018 we received information that Fow may have been engaging in offences involving indecency. When we searched his address a hard drive and a mobile phone were seized for digital forensic examination.

"On the phone were found two videos and on the hard drive there were 39 still images and seven videos.

"It became clear that for many years Fow had been covertly videoing young boys for his own sexual gratification. Not only did the boys not realise this, on some of the recordings can be heard some of their voices, sometimes talking to Fow, totally unaware of what he was doing.

"However he has now been brought to justice and his opportunity to abuse his position in this way has now been brought to an end."

Police emphasise that the schools involved have given full co-operation through the investigation, and that parents of boys involved have been informed.