February 2015 Teacher jailed after having sex with two pupils PE teacher Luke Maslen, 24, had sex with two female pupils – One of whom was aged under 16 years old – after he struck up friendships with them on social media, Truro Crown Court heard during his trial in September. Jailing him for four years and ordering him to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark, QC, said it was common knowledge that “impressionable adolescent” girls could develop romantic crushes on attractive older men. Judge Harvey Clark said there were records of numerous conversations on Facebook between Maslen and the girls, and that the girls had been excited and attracted by his attention. He added: “I have read the victim impact statements by both young women and it is clear that for both of them there have been distressing consequences.” The court previously heard Maslen, of Lower Glen Park, Pensilva, would exchange up to 200 text messages a day with the older girl, professing his love before having sex with her in his car. The court heard the younger girl had sex with Maslen at his home and in her bedroom and that he would buy her cuddly toys and take her to McDonald’s. Both girls said Maslen told them he loved them and the younger one said he had asked her to marry him but told her to keep it a secret. Maslen denied seven counts of sexual activity with the girls but was found guilty on all counts September 2014 Teacher at Callington Community College found guilty of having sex with pupils A teacher wept in the dock as he was told he would go to prison to reflect the public’s revulsion at his actions after he had sex with two pupils. PE teacher Luke Maslen struck up friendships with the two girls – one of whom was aged under 16 – on social media before telling him loved them, Truro Crown Court heard during his trial. The 24-year-old, who worked at Callington Community College, denied seven counts of sexual activity with the two girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but was found guilty on all counts by a jury on Thursday. Maslen, of Lower Glen Park, Pensilva, was told that he would be facing a substantial jail term. Judge Christopher Harvey Clark, QC, said: “It will be my sad duty to pass a sentence reflecting the public revulsion at a teacher having undertaken sexual misbehaviour with a pupil and that sentence inevitably will involve imprisonment.” The court previously heard that Maslen started speaking to the two girls separately on social media in 2012, a year after joining the staff at the school they attended. The older girl, who was aged over 16, said their contact began as banter on Twitter, before progressing to exchanging up to 200 text messages each day. She described occasions when Maslen took her for a drive in his black Volkswagen including one when they parked up by Colliford Lake. In a video-recorded interview with police she said: “He started putting his hands down my trousers. “He was being really persistent. He moved me onto his lap …we just had sex in his car.” The court heard the younger girl had sex with Maslen at his home and in her bedroom and that he would buy her cuddly toys and take her to McDonald’s. Both girls said Maslen told her he loved them and the younger one said he had asked her to marry him but told her to keep it a secret. Maslen, who was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a young person or a child by a person in a position of trust and four of sexual activity with a young person or a child who was under the age of consent at the time of the allegations, was granted conditional bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. He was ordered to surrender his passport by 1pm on Friday, not to apply for further travel documents and to live at his parents’ address in Pensilva. He is due to appear before the court for sentence next month. Judge Harvey Clark, who described the case as troubling, said to Maslen: “I can well understand the trauma you are now experiencing. “The jury have convicted you on powerful evidence, strong evidence, on these counts and as a consequence I shall be sending you to prison.” He added that if Maslen left the country in the next 24 hours he would become the subject of an arrest warrant and would sooner or later be brought back to face the music. “You can’t run away from this,” he said.