Simon Murch: Sheffield schoolteacher and NEU union official jailed for raping child in Stoke

A Sheffield primary school teacher has been jailed over the rape of a child in Stoke on Trent.

Simon Murch was handed a prison sentence this morning at Stoke Crown Court for the offence, after having pleaded guilty back in September to the rape of a child under 13 in Stoke-on-Trent

Murch, aged 54, from Sheffield, was handed a prison sentence of seven years and six months, plus an extended licence period of a further 12 months.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders list for life as a result of the sentence

The 54-year-old had been a teacher at Sheffield’s Monteney Primary School, Parson Cross, but the case did not relate to any past or present pupils at Monteney.

When Murch was charged last year, Nicola Shipman, chief executive of the Steel City Schools Partnership, which runs the school, said: “Following media coverage about a member of staff, on behalf of Steel City Schools Partnership and Monteney Primary, [...] we are working closely with all agencies, including the police, to ensure all processes are being followed correctly.

"We will provide information, as required, to these agencies. We can confirm that all safeguarding training, records and practices are all up to date and rigorously applied by all."

Murch was also the regional joint secretary for the National Education Union in the city, and had been suspended from duties after the charges were brought against him.

A spokesperson for the union said last year: “As soon as the union was made aware of the very serious charges, the national officers of the NEU met and have suspended the individual from membership and all elected positions with immediate effect. We will be making no further comment at this time.”

One shocked parent of two children who were taught by Murch at the Sheffield school he worked at spoke of her concerns on the matter, on the condition of not being named.

She said: "This is a man who we have trusted with our children. A lot of parents are concerned because this isn’t a normal behaviour of a man, you can’t just get up one day and be attracted or want to harm a child."