Julie Morris, the Church of England Primary School’s deputy head, had many responsibilities.
She was also the head of religious studies and maths, as well as responsible for safeguarding vulnerable students and rolling out red carpets for visiting bishops.
The 44-year-old would even accompany the older children on annual residential trips to an activity centre in the Lake District – abseiling, hill walking and learning about nature.
One parent may wistfully recall that their son called her “Mum” at school, when he was little.
The whole community was confused when they heard that Morris had been charged with a series of sexual offenses against a girl in her Sunday school class.
Julie Morris and David Morris first met through a dating site. The two of them filmed each other raping and abusing children.
Police tried to placate fears by saying that the offenses were not related to her job, but the unanswered question only served to fuel parents’ concerns.
Today, the depraved story of this paedophile teacher and her perverted partner – David Morris – can be told for the first time after she admitted a catalogue of child sex crimes, including two of rape.
Morris, a Liverpool Crown Court defendant, was sentenced yesterday to 13 and 4 months in prison, her boyfriend, a’monster,’ for 32 similar offenses, seven of which were rapes.
The court heard that the lovers – who had the same surname – were involved in a ‘toxic’ relationship in which they molested their victim and filmed the horrifying assaults for their sexual gratification.
As he placed them in jail, Judge Andrew Menary, QC, Recorder of Liverpool said, “As a Crown Court judge, I see many cases that involve the dreadful exploitation of children, but every now an again we see situations of which circumstances are almost beyond belief.”
“This is one such case. This is an example of how human depravity can reach the lowest depths.
Julie Morris, 44 (left) and David Morris, 52 (right), filmed their abuse and rape of a young girl under 13.
The Daily Mail was told by a senior prosecutor that she had been reduced to tears during the case, and it was one of the most difficult cases in her career.
Many of the details of what Morris and her lover did are unprintable in a family newspaper – and they doubtless make deeply uneasy reading for those who entrusted their children into her care.
The victim, Julie Morris, was not a student. However, she had photographed children from the school and sent them to her boyfriend.
Although none of these images were indecent, the prosecutors said they were intended for her and her boyfriend’s sexual pleasure. David Morris replied that one of the images showed children dressed up in fancy clothes inside a school classroom.
Evidence gathered by police including a large number of video messages shows that Julie Morris willingly and actively participated in grooming and abusing their victim.
Her 52-year old partner wrote her a message in which he said he had ‘naughty ideas’ about her girl. She replied, ‘As long I’m still involved, baby xxx. In messages, they also called the girl ‘our little friend’.
Grooming soon turned into acts of sexual abuse. This abuse included at most seven rapes and took place between May 2018 and September 2018. The abuse began when the girl was eight years old.
It was mostly filmed with Morris occasionally giggling behind the scenes.
Julie Morris (44), pleaded guilty to 18 charges at Liverpool Crown Court, which included two counts each of rape and nine counts of inciting children under 13 years old to participate in sexual activities. Two of these offences were: two counts of inciting minors to engage in sexual behavior, two of inciting minors to do so, and one of engaging in sexual activity while a child is present.
It was all due to the fact that their evil acts were stopped.
Police raided the London home of a paedophile at the beginning of 2020. An analysis of the phone showed that he had communicated with David Morris and exchanged photos of their children. Morris was arrested at his St Helens home, Merseyside in September by detectives.
Following his release on bail, officers received tip-offs that Morris’ girlfriend and her boyfriend were planning to flee. They were arrested in his campervan with £10,000 in cash.
Shortly thereafter, St George’s Central Church of England Primary Schools in Tyldesley (near Wigan) informed parents of their ‘distressing’ new information.
Although paedophilia convictions for women are rare, they do occur. However, many of the perpetrators claim to have been pushed or coerced by male comrades to participate in their abuse.
In this case. Julie Morris stated to police that she was afraid her partner would reveal nude photos he took of her to her family and friends if she didn’t cooperate. However, she admitted to police that there was no threat of this happening.
Her defense was rejected by the judge, who stated that she was an enthusiastic participate’ in the abuse and fed on her boyfriend’s ‘insatiable hunger’ for child sexual activity.
Julie Morris had worked at St George’s Central Church of England Primary School in Wigan for 10 years
Mairead Neeson (a Crown Prosecution Service Senior Crown Prosecutionary) stated that there is not evidence to support the claims in thousands of communications between the couple. ‘Julie Morris did not commit these offences because she was coerced by her mother. She was just as responsible as David Morris. She was 100% aware of all that was happening.
“She’s fully involved. She knows what’s happening, and she encourages it. She does not say’stop that’ or please don’t do this!’ He is encouraged to continue because she’s a willing participant.
And Morris’s behaviour is all the more shocking because of who she was – a veritable pillar of the local community in whose person countless people had put their trust.
A regular churchgoer, she had been worshipping at the same Methodist church in Pemberton, Wigan, for 30 years – leading prayers and services and teaching at the Sunday school.
She would make her profession in education. She graduated with a degree from Lancashire University in Psychology. Then she received a master’s in maths from Edge Hill University of Ormskirk.
She was first employed as a teacher at Castle Hill St Philip’s Church of England Primary School in Wigan.
Then she went to St George’s School, which is a different church school. She was then appointed deputy at St George’s in 2011.
She was also responsible for religious and math education.
Morris married an accomplished musician in 2003. Morris, who was distraught when she lost her husband for another woman in 2003, turned to Plenty of Fish online dating site.
David Morris was also there when she met her for the first-time in July 2016.
A failed relationship had just ended, and he was also newly divorced. Kwik fit mechanic, he could be often found outside his St Helens residence tinkering around with an older campervan. After helping to fund a trip to DisneyLand for a three-year old boy who was sick, he appeared in the newspaper’s pages. By taking part in a tandem parachute jump, he raised £2,500 for the trip.
He said, “It was incredible.” He said, “I expected to be nervous wreck but I was not.” According to the relatives of the child, they were shocked when he offered help. He was not a friend but a relative.
David Morris wasn’t a do-gooder. He and his girlfriend had already started to abuse their victim. According to the court, they became sexually intimate from the day they met. Their ‘graphic’ and ‘depraved communications made their fantasies a reality.
They exchanged sexual interests over three years in a series of explicit messages that numbered 175,000 pages.
David Morris met David Morris through Plenty of Fish, and the two began exchanging sexy fantasies.
David Morris shared his thoughts about the child in a few messages. She was described as a slut by David Morris, who also compared her with his girlfriend. The extent of their grooming was so extensive that they even had to include the girl in group chats.
Their exchanges were too disgusting to even describe. Video footage that shows Julie Morris with the victim in their underwear is a similar story. Another video featured the couple naked and laughing while sitting on a sofa, encouraging the victim’s bottom to rub Julie Morris.
When police searched the London home for the paedophile, they discovered that there was a link with David Morris. Merseyside detectives conducted a search warrant in his house on September 2. After being interviewed, his phone was taken and he was released on bail.
A tip to police indicating that he was planning on absconding with his partner led to the arrest of him.
They both confessed to the crime when they were presented with the evidence. Prosecutors say that they were forced to admit their guilt because of the footage.
Morris explained to police, as an excuse, that she had made certain that the victim wasn’t under any duress or suffered pain. She also said that Morris had made it clear that she was willing to perform the acts.
Julie Morris (pictured), David, and the victim also established a chat group in which they could talk about abuse.
It was an extremely sickening claim given her history, and it was described by the judge as “breathtaking” in its inappropriateness.
Source at the center of the investigation said that despite being a school safeguarding lead, she should be trained in the recognition of signs of grooming. However, she was actually using these techniques to protect children.
Because of the sheer volume of footage that David Morris had retrieved, it was impossible for police officers to inspect it all.
Instead they focused their efforts on finding the worst offenders and finding victims.
Julie Morris broke down during an earlier hearing as evidence was presented. This display of emotion was in sharp contrast to her previous behavior, Miss Neeson said.
She said, “She might be crying right now, but the videos don’t show any tears.” She is actually laughing in the videos. Interview with police described her as being cold and detached.
“There was no emotion from her.
“The details of what they did were so horrible that after finishing reading, I burst in tears.
It’s a child who has had his innocence stolen. This is my worst experience in 20 years of professional work.
Then she said, “It is shocking that someone who was respected and held a trusting position in the community has fallen from grace.”
Julie was the safeguarding leader at St George’s Central Church of England primary school in Wigan. They are unrelated to her work at Wigan’s Central Church of England Primary School.
Paul Becker, who defended Morris, stated that her childhood was difficult after she lost her mother when she was 4 years old and her father when she was 9.
“She felt abandoned at home, bullied at school, and felt confused about herself.
A barrister stated that Morris from Hindley in Wigan was deeply ashamed of what she’d done.
He added that “Due to her crime she has lost all, her reputation and career, as well as her home,”
Wigan Council released a statement stating that St George’s had admitted to parents their concern at the distressing details of the case.
According to a spokesperson, the school was assured by the police that the photos of students were not indecent. Also, no crime had occurred.
He added that these are unacceptable behaviours and offences, particularly from someone in a position to trust.
“We understand that parents might have questions or concerns after the initial visit. We will work with police officers to address them as well.
“Undoubtedly, it was an awful chapter in school history but we now believe that the close-knit school can continue to grow without further damage from the sinister actions of any one.