A woman discovered her daughter was having sex with a teacher after she found him hiding under the teenager’s bed, a court has heard.
Married maths teacher Andrew Welsh, 36, was caught when the girl’s mother returned home unexpectedly one morning last July, Bolton crown court was told on Friday.
Her daughter had ruffled hair and smudged lipstick and, when the mother went upstairs, she noticed a pair of man’s boots beside the 16-year-old’s bed, Geoff Whelan, prosecuting, told the jury.
This “understandably aroused suspicion” in the mother, who asked the girl: “What are you doing? Who is here?”
Whelan went on: “However, as that was said, she looked down and saw movement in the drawer compartment within the girl’s single divan bed and the valance sheet folded back. She saw movement of material which seemed to match the suit jacket her daughter was holding.
“The girl replied ‘Mr Welsh’. Her mother ordered the defendant to get out from under the bed and recognised him from the school.”
The woman called her husband and the police and Welsh was arrested.
The court heard Welsh had begun a relationship with the “impressionable” girl last summer while she was taking her GCSE exams.
The graduate of St Andrews University bombarded the girl with obscene texts, including: “Have you heard about my maths lesson? We’re going to find out if 35 goes into 16.”
The father of one, from High Bank, Atherton, near Wigan, admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.
He was given a 14-month jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours of community service. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.
The court heard the relationship began last May when Welsh took her to his home and showed her his artwork. They sat on the couch and began kissing. The pair met again shortly afterwards and had sex.
Another liaison occurred in Welsh’s car at a Sainsbury’s carpark when they had simulated sex.
On 18 July last year, they had sex at the girl’s home, and it was the next day when the mother arrived home early to discover their secret relationship.
The court heard of a series of texts sent to the girl by Welsh. They included, after the meeting at the teacher’s home: “You left your glorious scent on the pillow for days, I loved it.”
Welsh also texted the girl: “Stop it you minx!”, “I love it when you dig your nails in” and “You really are talented in bed”.
Welsh told police the girl was 16, the sex was consensual and all sexual activity took place after she had left school. He tried to have the charges dismissed, but the judge ruled at an earlier hearing that the charges should stand as Welsh had been in a position of trust. The defendant then pleaded guilty to the six charges.
Nicola Gatto, defending, told Judge Elliot Knopf: “As a result of the guilty pleas entered, your honour is about to sentence a man who’s fallen from grace to a very large degree. He’s lost his standing in the community, he’s lost his good character and he’s lost the career he loved.”
Gatto said Welsh, a former assistant head of year, was now selling double glazing and had been pursued by the media through the streets “as if he were a rapist”.
She added: “Quite what possessed him to embark on this course of conduct is really unclear. He was flattered by the attention that this young woman gave him. It’s clear as the relationship developed this man developed a real fondness for the girl.
“The other victim in all of this has been his wife and son. His wife is a GP and she has made the very difficult decision to stand by him.
“He has effectively ruined his own life. It’s going to take many years for this man to piece his life back together again, a daily reminder of the huge mistake he has made.”
Passing sentence the judge told Welsh: “You were nearly 20 years older than this girl. It is you who has to bear the responsibility for what happened. She was attracted to you, you should have exercised the judgment which you clearly lacked when you decided to embark on this relationship with her; not perhaps a moment of madness, because it went on for a good number of weeks.”
Welsh was also ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs.
