Michael Pierce, a 32-year-old former teacher from West Yorkshire, has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to a series of disturbing offences. Pierce admitted to causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and other related charges

The case unfolded when Pierce posed as a 16-year-old boy from Leeds and befriended young girls on Snapchat. He manipulated one victim into sending him a nude photograph, and when she refused to provide further images, he threatened to share the initial photo with all her friends on the platform. Shockingly, he also sent the same image to another victim and pressured her to send him additional explicit photos.

Police traced Pierce’s IP address, leading to his arrest at an address in Wakefield in August 2021. At the time of his arrest, he was still employed as a teacher. The court sentenced him to six years in prison and placed him on the sex offender register for life. Additionally, he received a life-long sexual harm prevention order, prohibiting unsupervised contact with children.

Detective Sergeant Steven Sayles, part of the Wakefield District Child Vulnerable to Exploitation Team (CVET), expressed concern over Pierce’s actions, emphasizing the breach of trust due to his role as a teacher. Measures have been implemented to safeguard children, but the impact on the victims remains deeply troubling. The court hopes that this conviction brings some closure to the young girls affected by these horrific crimes.