A ‘mentor’ at a special school in Swindon offered a pupil money for sexual images.
Eren Yorukoglu, previously held teaching assistant roles at Churchward School (which he left in April 2022, two years prior to the offence that he has been convicted of) – which caters for children with autism and communication difficulties – and Great Western Academy.
The 36-year-old offer a 16-year-old, who he knew through his employment, money in exchange for a sexual interaction and explicit imagery on 11 April 2024.
Court documents confirmed that his offending was a “breach of trust” because he “knew of [the] victim through his work and [the] victim was vulnerable”.
The defendant, of Bryony Way, Swindon, pleaded guilty to causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child at a hearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 1 May.
Returning to the same court for sentencing on 29 May, the father of a young son avoided an immediate custodial sentence.
Yorukoglu was handed a nine-month prison term, suspended for two years. He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation activity days.
The man was ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The order prohibits the defendant from undertaking any employment or activities which are likely to bring him into contact with children, having contact with children, and he must declare his digital devices to an offender manager at Wiltshire Police.
The SHPO does not prevent Yorukoglu from having unsupervised contact with his own son.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include the date in which Yorukoglu left his employment at Churchward School.
