The former Bushey Meads schoolteacher jailed for planning to rape a 10-year-old girl claimed that he had previously abused a pupil, the Watford Observer has learnt following his sentencing.
Matthew O'Kelly, who had worked as a teacher for 21 years, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday after he was caught in an undercover police operation targeting paedophiles.
During online conversations with an officer posing as the mother of a young girl, O'Kelly made "detailed and elaborate" plans to rape the child.
The Watford Observer has learnt that during that conversation, the former PE teacher and head of sixth form bragged that he had abused a pupil during his lengthy tenure at the school.
The claim was made during a conversation in which he attempted to convince the undercover officer that he was serious about sexually abusing children.
During his trial, his defence team argued that O'Kelly's messages had been "roleplay and fantasy", and following sentencing police said there was no evidence to suggest any of his pupils were affected.
Following approach by the Observer regarding O'Kelly's claim, DC Tilly Parker said: "Throughout this investigation specialist officers from the Child Online Safeguarding Team (COST) worked closely with the school to protect and safeguard pupils and identify any possible offences.
"O’Kelly’s offending was committed online and all of his electronic devices were thoroughly examined during the course of the investigation.
"No evidence was found on these to suggest any sexual offences had been committed against pupils at the school.
"There is currently no other evidence to suggest any students at the school were abused by O’Kelly. Specialist support remains available to all pupils."
The Watford Observer has since asked Bushey Meads to confirm that O'Kelly passed all relevant pre-employment checks, and whether any safeguarding concerns were raised about him during his time at the school. It was also asked whether recruitment procedures have been reviewed, and whether an internal review into his claim regarding a pupil was planned.
Bushey Meads did not respond.
O'Kelly, 43, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison at St Albans Crown Court.
Prosecutor Zafreen Chowdhury said O'Kelly's conversation with the undercover officer began on November 19 last year.
Over a series of messages, O'Kelly pursued what he believed was a "genuine opportunity" to rape the 10-year-old girl, Judge Kamran Choudhry said.
In a bid to gain her trust, he revealed that he was a teacher and sent photos of himself at the school.
His home in Walton Road, Bushey, was raided by police on November 25 and police discovered devices containing over 1,600 images and videos of children being sexually abused, featuring infants as young as 12 months old.
The earliest content had been downloaded as far back as October 2009.
O'Kelly pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images of children and three of making indecent images of children.
He denied arranging the commission of a child sex offence and causing a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, but a jury found him guilty of both charges.
When handing down sentence, Judge Choudhry said O'Kelly had shown a sustained sexual interest in children and posed a significant risk of harm.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
Have you got any more information about this case? Email josh.bolton@newsquest.co.uk
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