A SUPPLY teacher at Colchester’s St Helena School has been jailed after grooming schoolgirls to try and convince them to have sex with him.

James Heathcote, 26, of Parkeston Road, Felixstowe, sent them naked images of himself and encouraged them to send pictures to him.

His offences came to light when his behaviour was discovered by another girl.

Heathcote was jailed for five months, banned from interacting with girls aged under 18 for several years and put on the sex offenders' register, when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday.

He  previously admitted two charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.

See the full story in today's Gazette.

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We have been asked to point out the guilty man is not James Heathcote, 36, of Colchester, a former language teacher who shares the same name, but who left St Helena School three years ago.

The innocent Mr Heathcote worked there for 12 years as a French and German teacher and later as head of modern languages.

He left the school in 2012.

He said: “It is a terrible coincidence I share the same name and profession with this offender who joined St Helena School after I had left.”