MARK JORDAN FROM HUNTINGDON AND KIMBOLTON ESCAPES CHILD WORK BAN AFTER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTION

In April 2006, a significant case involving a music teacher from the regions of Huntingdon and Kimbolton drew public attention due to the serious nature of his conviction and the subsequent legal proceedings. Mark Jordan, who was serving as an assistant director of music at Kimbolton School, a prestigious institution near Huntingdon with an annual salary of £16,500, found himself at the center of a criminal investigation after police uncovered child pornography on his personal computers.

Jordan, who was 34 years old at the time, faced multiple charges related to the creation and possession of indecent images of minors. Although he was acquitted of six charges, he was convicted on four counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing such images. The discovery occurred shortly after his employment at Kimbolton School had begun; he had been in his role for only a few weeks when authorities raided his residence on High Street, Kimbolton, on October 14, 2004.

During the court proceedings at Cambridge Crown Court, Jordan maintained his innocence, claiming that his internet activity was limited to browsing for erotic photographs. He admitted that he clicked on two images during a credit card transaction but insisted he was unaware that any of the images involved children under the age of 16. The prosecution highlighted that the images found were at the lowest level of seriousness, classified as level one, which was emphasized by Greg Perrins, who represented Jordan during mitigation.

In his defense, Perrins pointed out that Jordan had a substantial number of positive character references and was considered a person of good standing. Despite his conviction, Jordan faced significant personal consequences, including the loss of his job and home, and he fell into debt. His family, who were present in court, expressed their support for him. Perrins argued that Jordan's low risk of re-offending should be taken into account and that he had aspirations to work in musical and orchestral fields in London, which would be hindered if he were banned from working with children.

However, the court's sentencing judge, Judge John Sennitt, decided not to impose a ban on Jordan working with children. Instead, he fined him £1,000 and ordered him to pay £400 in costs. Jordan's name was to be entered into the Sex Offenders' Register for a period of five years, and his computers were to be destroyed to prevent further misuse.

Judge Sennitt clarified that he was not obliged to impose a restriction on Jordan's employment with children unless there was a clear likelihood of future offenses. Following the case, Nikki Kerr from the children's charity Kidscape expressed her disapproval, stating, “If someone is on the Sex Offenders’ Register for downloading pornographic images of children, they should be automatically banned from working with children – it’s common sense.”

A representative from the Department of Education indicated that Jordan's case would be automatically referred to them, and they might decide to place him on List 99, which would prohibit him from working with children, further emphasizing the ongoing concern regarding his eligibility to work in educational settings.