by Keith Hunt

A paedophile schoolteacher who groomed boys in chatrooms over the internet and met one for sex has been jailed for nine years.

Kevin Wells was told by a judge he had corrupted one young boy to pursue his sexual perversions.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Wells was head of year seven at Ravens Wood boys' School for boys in Bromley when he was trawling the web for victims.

Deepak Kapur, prosecuting, said police raided the 53-year-old "family man's" home in Tonbridge on February 23.

Wells said when referring to paedophile rings: "I am at the other end."

Computers, a bag of sex toys and a library of disks containing hours of film and indecent images were seized.

Mr Kapur said Wells had software installed which allowed him to video record conversations with boys as they were happening.

One 11-year-old boy was identified from the videos and traced to Bracknell, Berkshire. He was shown frequently engaging in sexual activity with Wells on the internet.

Wells admitted chatting to boys sexually and getting them to engage in sex acts. He also admitted downloading child sex abuse images.

He kept CDs of the indecent material in a safe. There were 54 videos lasting a total of more than nine hours up to the highest category of level five.

Wells told how he went to meet the boy in woods, taking with him sex toys, during half-term in November last year. He met him again for sex three weeks later.

Mr Kapur said the boy, who suffered an accident at birth and had psychological problems, refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Wells, of Bishops Oak Ride, admitted two charges of oral rape, four of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two of sexual activity with a child, two of meeting a child following sexual grooming, assault of a child under 13, causing a child to watch a sexual act, taking indecent photographs of a child and making indecent photographs of children.

Judge Philip St John-Stevens told Wells: "Boys and children of that age have to be protected from people like you. Although they go into chatrooms, they are completely naive as to what may happen."

A sexual offences prevention order was imposed for 20 years and Wells's name will appear on the sex offenders' register for life.

None of the offences involved boys at Wells's school.