A MATHS teacher from York who had a sexual relationship with a female pupil has been jailed.

Christopher Stephenson, 32, from Third Avenue, York, was the head of maths at Fulford School until recently. He is now unemployed.

Before he was appointed at the school he worked at the prestigious Grey Coat Hospital School, in Westminster, where he had a relationship with a girl between July 2007 and January 2009, when the girl was aged 16 and 17. Stephenson was 23 and 24, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Stephenson was jailed for 20 months and was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

His solicitor advocate Kevin Blount told the court there had been no other repeats of the offending at other schools since.

The court heard Stephenson and the victim at Grey Coat Hospital School started a relationship while she was in sixth form, after she had “poked” him on Facebook. They continued to talk online, before meeting up when their relationship became physical and sexual in the summer of 2007.

The court heard that during the relationship the victim’s father become concerned after finding an email from Stephenson.

But the teacher reassured him their friendship was platonic.

The allegations first came to light in 2011 and Stephenson was questioned about them by police, but the victim refused to press charges.

However in June last year she went to the police and gave a full interview and he was arrested afterwards.

Summarising the impact statement from the victim, Judge Alistair McCreath said: “She describes being turned upside down by this.

“Being rather a trusting teenager.

"She went through stages in her life of destructive and reckless behaviour.

“She says she has suffered from depression and anxiety.

"But she says she has improved.”

Mr Blount, in mitigation, argued that it was Stephenson's first job and he was naïve to the rules regarding relationships with students over the age of 16.

However the judge said: “If anybody had it fresh in their mind teachers should keep their hands off pupils it must be a newly qualified teacher above all others."

Mr Blount told the court there has been no other repeats of the offending at other schools since.

He said: “This is not a man who has gone out to find someone vulnerable to take advantage of them. It is a friendship that blossomed.

“That relationship developed, blossomed into a relationship that should not have occurred.”

He said he had successful career after the relationship but would no longer be able to teach.

He also revealed Stephenson was planning to get married to his fiancé just before he pleaded guilty last month, but cancelled the ceremony.

Stephenson, who was wearing a dark suit and blue tie and brought a large black duffel bag, gave no response in the dock as his sentence was passed.

Stephenson was nominated for a teacher of the year award in The Press Community Pride awards, 2015, while working at Fulford School as head of maths.