Yesterday, 18 charges of child abuse were admitted by a female deputy headteacher. This includes two counts for rape.
Julie Morris, 44 and David Morris 52, were filmed abusing and raping under-13 girls in series of videos. This was revealed to jurors.
At Liverpool Crown Court, Julie – wearing glasses, a facemask and a cream cable knit jumper – entered guilty pleas to two counts of rape, nine of inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
The safeguarding lead at St George’s Central C of E Primary School in Wigan also admitted three counts of taking indecent images of a child, one of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child.
Julie Morris (pictured), 44 and David Morris (52) filmed their abuse and rape of a young girl below 13 years in several videos. Jurors were shown the footage.
David admitted to 34 offenses at an earlier hearing. They are unrelated to Julie’s employment at Wigan school.
Both the couple, who have the same surname but aren’t married, will be sentenced at a later date.
A judge heard Julie laughing while she was being abused.
John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, said the couple met on dating app Plenty of Fish in 2016 after both had separated from their partners and the relationship ‘quickly became intensely sexual’.
He said: ‘The communication between them became graphic and depraved which led to some of their sexual fantasies becoming a reality.’
At Liverpool Crown Court, Julie – wearing glasses, a facemask and a cream cable knit jumper – entered guilty pleas to two counts of rape in addition to other charges
Mr Wyn Williams said the couple’s ‘sordid secret’ was revealed when police found a conversation about sexual abuse of children involving David in a phone seized during a search warrant.
The court heard that he was taken into custody, but that he had been cautioned, and then released. A number of devices, including recordings of sexual abuse and rape, were also seized.
Wyn Williams claimed that the two defendants were both arrested on the same day, as they seemed to have been trying to evade authorities.
‘They were on their way to the Lake District in a camper van with £10,000 in their possession,’ he told the court.
Officers also examined videos and photos on David’s mobile phone. They also scanned through 175,000 pages between them, which revealed explicit sexual communications.
According to the court, they also had a chat in group with the victim where they could talk about the abuse she would suffer.
David of Eccleston in St Helens pleaded guilty to seven counts rape and 13 counts for causing or encouraging a minor to sexually act. He also pled guilty to two counts each of taking indecent pictures, in categories A, C and possessing and disseminating indecent photos.
Julie was safeguarding lead at St George’s Central C of E Primary School in Wigan. These offences do not relate to Julie’s employment at Wigan school.