Nick Baldock, a 46-year-old former teacher at Lancing College, has been sentenced for a series of child sex offences and the unauthorized sharing of personal data of some pupils.

Baldock was charged with sexual assault after indecently touching a teenage boy, a pupil at the college, in July 2022. Following the incident, Baldock contacted the victim under the guise of apologizing but made inappropriate sexual comments about younger boys.

Upon his arrest, several digital devices were seized from Baldock, revealing numerous indecent images of children, including highly serious Category A images. None of these images were of current or former pupils at Lancing College. Further investigation uncovered messages on the Telegram app indicating Baldock’s sexual interest in boys aged 13 to 17. He had also shared non-indecent pictures of boys, some downloaded from the school database, with other like-minded individuals.

Baldock faced multiple charges, including sexual assault, publishing obscene articles, and knowingly disclosing personal data without consent. The offences occurred between August 2021 and December 2022.

At Crawley Magistrates’ Court on August 30, Baldock pleaded guilty to all charges. On October 24, at Hove Crown Court, he was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. He will also register as a sex offender and be managed by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for eight years. HH Judge Rennie emphasized that Baldock had shattered the trust of his students for his own sexual gratification.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hitchcock of Sussex Police’s Online Child Abuse Team stated, “Nick Baldock’s pattern of behavior shows a clear, sexual interest in young boys that he acted upon physically and online. His offending was a betrayal of his responsibility to protect the children under his care.”

The Sexual Harm Prevention Order aims to severely limit Baldock’s ability to harm other young people, providing some measure of comfort for his victims.