FORMER ST GREGORY'S TEACHER CHRISTOPHER HAYTON TO BE RELEASED IN WEEKS AFTER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SENTENCE IN WARRINGTON

In December 2012, Christopher Hayton, a former teacher at St Gregory’s Catholic High School in Westbrook, is set to be released from prison within weeks after serving a six-month sentence. Hayton, 53, of Barnards Green Road, Malvern, was sentenced at Warrington Crown Court on October 19 for possessing nearly 4,800 indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to 16 counts, including 15 of making indecent images and one of possessing indecent images of children.

Hayton, a long-term science teacher at the school on Cromwell Avenue, downloaded a large number of illegal images, some classified in the most serious category of abuse. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson clarified that he did not target children at his own school.

Due to his guilty plea, Hayton is expected to serve half of his six-month sentence, with his release scheduled for January.

He was dismissed from his teaching position in September 2011 following an investigation by Warrington Borough Council into what was described as ‘professional gross misconduct.’ A council spokesperson stated, “It is inappropriate for us to comment on individual cases but what we can say is that both the council and the school have the correct procedures in place as approved by safeguarding services to enable us to deal with any issues once they come to light.”