A science teacher who had sex with a 15-year-old schoolgirl in a hotel has been jailed for two years.

Cfyn Markwick-Day began a year-long affair with the blonde teenager after picking her out of a school talent show for a would-be actress.

Markwick-Day, 46, persuaded her to play his daughter in an amateur film he was making and made her dress up as a nun, nurse and schoolgirl.

Later, Markwick-Day had sex with her four times after booking into a hotel in Bournemouth.

Chichester Crown Court yesterday heard he was found out when he ended the relationship with the girl after she turned 16.

She became jealous when he started seeing an 18-year-old girl, a former pupil at his school in West Sussex, and went to police, who launched an investigation.

Markwick-Day, from Chichester, who had been teaching since 2000, and his new girlfriend, Leda Tremble, aged 19, are engaged to be married.

His fiance's father Ian, 61, a construction company boss, and former wife Kim, gave evidence on his behalf during the trial.

The court heard that the father-of-two had been married twice and has a daughter a year younger than his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Markwick-Day denied two charges of abusing his trust by having sex with the girl in April 2002 but was found guilty after a six-day trial.

The jury cleared Markwick-Day of a further five counts of abusing a position of trust by having sex with a person under the age of 18 while he was a teacher.

Jailing him, Judge John Sessions branded Markwick-Day "calculating, manipulative and deceitful".

He said: "The fundamental duty of a teacher is that he or she will not sexually exploit young people in their charge.

"Within one month of coming to know the victim you had intercourse with her, after a brief period of grooming.

"Her willingness to be a sexual partner no way lessens the seriousness of the offence.

"Your breaches of trust involved intercourse on more than one occasion, during which you calculated and intended a weekend devoted to exploitative sexual activity.

"These offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified."

Markwick-Day was banned for life from working with children and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.

Richard Cherrill, defending, told the court Markwick-Day had been forced to flee his home after "horrendous" attacks on his fiance, his house and his car.

He said: "There is no suggestion that any other person has got involved in a similar way in this defendant's stewardship while he was a teacher.

"He had not received any sort of instruction and guidance about avoiding inappropriate close relationships with pupils.

"He has absolutely no intention of getting into a situation where he would be in that sort of relationship with children again, let alone teaching.

"There is evidence that prior to the date of the counts of which we are concerned, the victim had engaged in a bet with a fellow schoolgirl that she would be the first to sleep with a teacher and was said to have boasted about it thereafter.

"It would not seem to be the case that the defendant was the only motivator.

"There was a declaration that this is what she was going to do.

"He is essentially a good man, who for the first time has transgressed."