Primary school teacher jailed for child rape

A primary school teacher from Sheffield has been jailed after he admitted raping a child in Staffordshire.

Simon Murch, 55, from South Yorkshire, was sentenced to seven-years-and-five-months behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (15 February) after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to raping a girl.

Officers arrested Murch on 17 July last year, the day after he was reported to police. Murch arranged to meet the victim in Stoke-on-Trent in June (2023) where the offence then took place.

Murch appeared at the same court on 4 September 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).

Detective Constable Jordan Kirkland, from our 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.”

If you have been affected by sexual abuse, contact us via Live Chat on our website or call 101.

Call 999 in an emergency.