Simon Murch: 'Sugar daddy' Sheffield teacher spent £500 on Stoke child at toyshop after raping her in hotel

Police have told how Sheffield teacher Simon Murch arranged to meet a young girl in Stoke, and then raped her.

Officers from Staffordshire Police told how Murch travelled from Sheffield before committing the offence of rape, which he admitted last September.

He spent hundreds of pounds on her at a toy shop, after taking her to a hotel, and claimed he thought she was 18.

Today he was jailed for the crime, and police released the mugshot taken of Murch after his arrest last year.

Murch, 55, a former teacher at Montenay Primary School in Parson Cross, was sentenced to seven-years-and-six-months behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (February 15), with an extended licence period of 12 months, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to raping a girl. His victim had no connection with the school he worked at.

Officers today told how they arrested Murch on July 17 last year, the day after he was reported to police.

Murch arranged to meet his victim in Stoke-on-Trent in June (2023) where the offence then took place, they said.

Murch appeared at the same court on September 4 and pleaded guilty to the offence before his sentencing. He has been put on the sex offender’s register for life and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

The court heard how in June 2023, Murch exchanged messages with the schoolgirl in which she claimed she was 18, and asked to be her sugar daddy. He also asked her for nude photos and sent her an explicit video of himself. He started to give her money via PayPal and arranged to meet her for sex.

On 24 June 2023, he picked her up near her house and took her to a hotel room in Stoke-on-Trent where he raped her. Afterwards, he took her to a toyshop where he spent £500 on her.

Murch’s offending came to light in July 2023 when the child disclosed to a safeguarding teacher at school that she had a sugar daddy.

When he was arrested and interviewed, he claimed that he thought she was 18 years old. However, the court heard it was quite evident from the girl’s appearance that she could not have been that age.

Andrew Crump of the CPS said: "Horrifyingly, at the time of the offence, Simon Murch was a primary school teacher who was in a position of trust and had a duty of care to children and although the victim was not his student, it is deeply concerning that someone in his position could take advantage of a vulnerable child for his own sickening gratification.

"By abusing that trust, Murch has caused immeasurable harm to the child and her family. I hope that with Murch behind bars, the child and her family can now begin the recovery process."

Detective Constable Jordan Kirkland, from Staffordshire Police's Child Protection and Exploitation Team (CPET), said: "I’d like to commend the survivor in this case and her family for their immense bravery in coming forward and telling us what Murch did.

"We are committed to working with our partners to robustly target those engaged in child sexual abuse and supporting survivors as much as possible.

"I want this case to serve as a reminder to anyone who may be a victim or sexual abuse, no matter how recent, that getting in touch with us is the first step to securing justice. Specialist officers can speak to you in confidence and stop those responsible."

Following Murch's sentencing, chief executive of Steel City Schools Partnership, which runs Montenay Primary, Nicola Shipman, issued a statement.

She said: "Following the arrest of an ex member of staff, Mr Simon Murch, in July 2023, Steel City Schools Partnership, on behalf of Monteney Primary, have worked closely with Sheffield local authority and Staffordshire police until the conclusion of this case culminating with the sentencing today at Stoke Crown Court.

"We reiterate that this matter did not relate to any pupil, past or present within any school in Steel City Schools Partnership."

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Murch had been an official for the the NEU teaching union in Sheffield.

The NEU said in a statement: "As soon as the union was made aware of the very serious charges in July of last year, the national officers of the NEU suspended the individual from membership and all elected positions. On hearing that they had pleaded guilty to the charges they were expelled from membership of the National Education Union with immediate effect in line with the Union’s rules."