A former primary school worker says she has been left with “scars that will never heal” after an ex-colleague repeatedly shared fake pornographic images of her online.

Kirsty Pellant, 44, was one of four women targeted by teacher Jonathan Bates, who posted Photoshopped pictures of his victims on websites offering free and paid-for sexual services.

For years the decorated war veteran managed to avoid detection by using specialist encryption software, but he was jailed this week after one of the women turned detective and uncovered who was behind the malicious campaign.

It brought to an end an eight-year wait for justice for Miss Pellant, who says the stress of the ordeal ultimately led to her having to quit her job as head of safeguarding at St John's Primary School in Canterbury in 2023.

"When someone posts stuff like that about you, you just don't know what they are capable of,” she said.

"Someone else might have even been driven to take their own life because it had such an impact.

"I'm left with scars that will never heal because it takes so much out of you when you have to fight so hard for justice.

"It feels like I have lost a piece of me that I'll never get back.”

Former soldier Bates secured a job as a teacher at St John’s Primary after leaving the Army and completing an educational conversion course in 2012.

He moved back to Cornwall in 2015 - the same year another teacher at St John’s was told by a friend about explicit sexual images of her online.

The court was told these were on fake accounts that showed real photos of her face superimposed onto the bodies of other women involved in pornographic acts.

Horrified by what she saw, the teacher reported the sites to Kent Police, but the force was unable to identify the perpetrator.

Miss Pellant then became aware she too was being targeted, with fake images of her also appearing on pornography sites, but again detectives could not work out who was responsible.

Many included pictures stolen from Miss Pellant’s Facebook site, while others had her face Photoshopped onto other women’s naked bodies.

As quickly as Miss Pellant was getting them taken down, new ones were appearing, leaving her feeling vulnerable, anxious and embarrassed.

The issue became more unbearable when parents at St John’s started sharing and commenting on the pictures, forcing the school to warn they faced prosecution for malicious communications.

One man - having arranged a date with someone he believed to be Miss Pellant after seeing her on a sex site - even arrived at her home, while others bombarded her with messages asking why she had failed to keep arranged “bookings”.

But the person behind the hateful campaign remained at large, as specialists from Kent Police’s Cybercrime Unit discovered they were using encrypting software to conceal their identity.

Miss Pellant told KentOnline at the time: “It’s just very frustrating that I will probably never know who was doing it and why, although I still believe it is someone who knows me, which is quite scary.”

However, when Bates started targeting a third victim in Cornwall - a complete stranger he had met at a funeral - the mystery started to unravel.

The court heard she used Facebook to identify other women targeted on the sites, and realised there was a link between them all.

Prosecutor Stuart Allen explained: “There was a common denominator – all had the same mutual friend, Jon Bates.”

The three women discovered there were also images of another woman Bates knew on the sites and alerted police, who arrested him in 2022.

His defence was all 'poor me' but it was him who ruined my life, and now his own...

During a search of his home, police found nine USB sticks containing personal details and photos of hundreds of women.

Bates, who won the Northern Ireland medal during his 15 years of military service, admitted four charges of stalking by creating fake online accounts.

The court heard he wanted to “punish” his two colleagues at St John’s for not supporting him, and suffered from PTSD from his time serving in war zones.

He was jailed for five years and given a 10-year order banning him from contacting his victims.

In a victim impact statement, Miss Pellant told the court: “I’ve had to leave my job and my career, and the financial implications have been significant.

“This violation has been incredibly hurtful.”

Miss Pellant did not attend the sentencing but watched a live-stream of the judge's remarks.

"He truly grasped the effect it had on the victims and was very understanding," she told KentOnline.

"In court, [Bates] claimed he did it because he wanted to 'punish' me because he didn't feel supported while working at the school, which is rubbish.

"His defence was all 'poor me' but it was him who ruined my life, and now his own.

"The fact is that what's put on the internet stays there and if you Google my name, it still says 'slutty teacher". Although I got most of it taken down, the images he created will stay there forever as a reminder of the pain he inflicted on his victims.

"Of course, I'm relieved it's all over, but I still feel a bit numb and just very sad that it all happened.

With her stalker now behind bars, Ms Pellant says she is trying to rebuild her life after years fighting for justice.

"I've started a new fitness business called Mindful Wellness Warrior which includes 'tension trauma release' exercise classes, of which I now have experience,” she said.

"The case has been hanging over me for so long but I am looking forward to the future.”