A North Yorkshire teacher has been jailed for sexual offences against pupils.

Neil Francis, 46, was given a nine-year prison sentence at the Crown Court sitting in Amersham for abusing 11 of his pupils.

He is the second teacher from North Yorkshire to be jailed for sexual offences against children in a few days.

Earlier this week, The Press reported how Mark Christopher Blackie, 32, of East Lutton, near Malton, was jailed for 10 years at York Crown Court for sexual offences against his pupils following a North Yorkshire Police investigation.

Francis, formerly of Conyers Road, East Cowton, near Northallerton, indecently assaulted 11 pupils while working as a teacher in a Milton Keynes school in the 2000s.

A jury found him guilty of 19 counts of sexual assault and eight counts of indecent assault on Monday.

The Milton Keynes offences were first reported to Thames Valley Police in December 2017 and Francis was charged on 26 February last year.

Detective Constable Michele Weston, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, based at Milton Keynes police station, said: “This investigation has taken four years to complete and involved the tenacity of several police officers and members of staff.

“This was a case where a teacher, who was in a position of trust, sexually abused 11 of his female pupils.

“I have nothing but admiration for each and every one of those victims who took the time to come to court and tell the awful tale of what happened to them - they should be extremely proud of themselves.

“I hope now that the victims can start to rebuild their lives with an assurance that they have played their part in protecting other vulnerable females from this defendant.”

The jury also found Francis not guilty of one count of sexual assault and were discharged on two other counts of sexual assault, which will lie on file.