February 4, 2021 1.54 pm This story is over 43 months old

Ex primary school headteacher denies child sex charges

He will return to court for a trial in May

A former Lincolnshire primary school headteacher denied child sex charges when he appeared before Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday.

James Shawley, 44, who was headteacher at St Bartholomew Primary School in West Pinchbeck, Spalding pleaded not guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a 14-year-old child.

He denied two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Shawley also pleaded not guilty to a fourth charge of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence by arranging to meet someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy in Huntingdon with the intention of having sex with the child.

The charges each relate to the period between December 8 and 23, 2019.

St Bartholomew Primary School. | Photo: Google Street View

Judge John Pini QC adjourned the hearing for a trial to start on May 11 this year.

Shawley, now of Broad Inge Crescent, Sheffield, but previously of Hereward Street, Bourne, was granted conditional bail to await his trial.

Shawley was not present for the previous case management hearing, which took place via video link at Lincoln Crown Court on August 28 last year.

When he was granted conditional bail back in August, the conditions at the time included no unsupervised contact with a person under the age of 18 and not to attend St Bartholomew’s Primary School in West Pinchbeck for any reason.