September 2015 Hereford Academy kitchen worker’s sex text shame A KITCHEN worker at a Hereford school who targeted two boys with sexual messages on the internet has been given a suspended jail sentence. Jamie Kelly sent messages offering money to the teenage boys for them to send him pictures of their private parts, Worcester Crown Court was told this week. He also asked them to join him for “cuddles” but neither of the boys responded to his invitations, Lee Marklew, prosecuting, told the court. A police investigation also discovered Kelly, now aged 21, had 1,500 child porn pictures on his phone and laptop. Kelly was employed to work in the canteen at the Hereford Academy at the time of the offences in January 2014, Mr Marklew said. He sent one boy a message on Snapchat asking for images of him topless or in boxer shorts and asked him to join him at his home to watch a film and have a cuddle in exchange for £20. He also asked for pictures of the boy’s private parts and offered the other boy £100 for a picture of himself without clothes, Mr Marklew added. Snapchat deletes messages immediately but one of the boys took a screenshot to save a message and showed it to his mother. Police became involved and when they analysed Kelly’s electronic devices they discovered the child porn pictures involving children as young as three. Kelly, of Kilvert Road, Newton Farm, Hereford, pleaded guilty to five offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and three of having porn images, 15 in category A, the most serious, 233 in category B and 1258 in category C. Jonathan Stanniland, defending, said that although there was a significant age gap between Kelly and the boys, he was only the same age in emotional maturity. He said Kelly was not in a position of trust towards the boys. Judge Michael Cullum said Kelly’s behaviour was beyond inappropriate. “You must have known it was illegal,” he told Kelly. “Fortunately, neither of the boys went through with what you asked them but you present a worrying picture.” One of the boys had said in a statement that his school work had suffered and he had become angry and moody following the offences. Kelly was given a total of 16 months in prison suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete the sex offenders programme and to register as a sex offender for five years. A restraining order was imposed banning him from any contact with either of the boys and he was ordered to pay £1,200 court costs.