A school has spoken of its dismay at hearing one of its most senior teachers had attempted to meet under-age girls.

James Ndungu of Hillside Close, Worcester resigned from his post at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College after being caught in a sting.

He had been attempting to communicate with two 14-year-old girls for sexual purposes, who turned out to be decoys.

Married Ndungu, 45, said he wanted to meet the girls for ‘kisses and cuddles’ when he was inadvertently talking to a vigilante group called Justice for Children.

The ex-teacher, who worked at the college for 15 years, said in some of his messages he wished the ‘girls’ he was talking to had been in his classes.

The full story of his actions can be read here

The churchgoer resigned his post at the school in Timberdine Avenue, which educates around 1,000 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16, shortly after the allegations had come to light.

Headteacher Greg McClarey said safeguarding was taken extremely seriously at the school.

“We are deeply appalled and dismayed by the behaviour of a former member of staff,” he said.

“We took immediate action when the school was alerted that a police investigation was underway concerning Mr Ndungu, implementing our safeguarding procedures and working closely with the Police and the Local Authority.

“Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously and we regularly review our procedures to ensure the continued safety and well-being of our pupils.”