Man Jailed After Pleading Guilty To Seven Charges

Specialist lawyers are once again urging survivors of abuse to not suffer in silence, after a teaching assistant was jailed for sexual offences related to a former pupil.

Carl Jones, 38, who had worked with children for around 20 years, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison at Chester Crown Court on 8 February after pleading guilty to a total of seven offences related to sexual abuse.

The court heard how his case came to light after he had groomed a former pupil on Instagram and the survivor’s father discovered the messages. Yahoo News reports that police officers then subsequently discovered images of child abuse on Jones’s phone.

During the sentencing, Judge Steven Everett described Jones as “truly disgusting” and added that it was also worrying that he had managed to “slip under the radar” and continue to work in education.

Such comments were welcomed by specialist abuse lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who have vast experience in providing advice and support to those affected by such problems.

Expert Opinion

“This is a truly awful case and while it is welcome to see a conviction, it is clearly vital that lessons are learned from everything which occurred here.

“It is also a major concern that Jones was able to continue to work in education for such a long period of time and it is important that some consideration is given to how issues like this can be prevented in the future.

“The outcome of this case is also a reminder that abuse survivors simply do not have to suffer in silence and we would urge anyone affected by similar issues to seek support at the earliest opportunity.” Tom Fletcher - Partner

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in supporting survivors of abuse