Beatrice's favourite teacher faces jail for grooming 'girl' for sex in chatroom

Richard Findley, head of history at St George's School in Ascot, Berkshire, pretended he was a teenager called Suzie to lure the girl into talking to him.

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The child was, however, an undercover detective from Scotland Yard's paedophile unit.

Findley, a father of three young children, started his grooming campaign in July last year, two months before he started his job at St George's, an all-girl independent boarding school close to Windsor Great Park. He was arrested in January when he started sending sexually explicit text messages to the "girl" from his mobile phone.

Beatrice, who achieved Bs in history and film studies as well as an A in drama in her A-level results on Thursday, was told of the arrest by Royalty Protection Squad officers as she prepared to return to school after Christmas.

Friends of the princess said she had been "shocked and horrified" at the time. Findley had taught Beatrice during the autumn term.

Genial and approachable, the 43-year-old teacher was held in high regard by the princess and other pupils.

Beatrice, head girl at the 300-pupil school, which charges fees of £7,200 a term for boarders and £4,650 for day pupils, had liked and respected him enormously, the friends said.

After his arrest, Findley denied contacting the "girl" but later admitted having cyber conversations with her. He claimed he thought she was an adult pretending to be a child, he described it as "a Britney Spears scenario".

Yesterday Findley pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to look at images of people engaged in sexual activity and making and distributing indecent images of children.

Inciting a child to engage in sexual activity carries a maximum jail term of 14 years. He will be sentenced on October 5 at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Findley, of Crowthorne, Berkshire, struck up a web conversation with the "girl" in July 2006, pretending he was 13-year-old Suzie from Essex.

During this conversation, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes, Suzie spoke of having an older boyfriend and of having chatted to a 40-year-old man online.

Shortly afterwards, Roody1, a 42-year-old man, began chatting online to the "girl". Roody1 was another identity created by Findley.

He went on to ask the undercover officer sexually explicit questions.

As the days and weeks went by, the paedophile lured the "girl" into vile conversations and made foul suggestions.

He also sent a pornographic image of an adult man and woman with lewd suggestions.

In September 2006, Roody1 told her: "I don't like cyber, in fact I hate it, but I'm asking you real questions about your experiences, cyber is when you make it up and pretend.

"It's childish and doesn't make you feel good 'cos it's all fake."

Mobile phone numbers were exchanged and Roody1 went on to send the "girl" 56 text messages, most of them sexually explicit.

The last text was sent on December 30 and officers swooped on his home on January 5.

A total of 155 indecent images of children were found on Findley's computer and the phrases he had entered into a search engine included "little girls pics" and "preteen pics".

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Stevens, of the Met's paedophile unit, said: "Every day, the Metropolitan Police have specialist officers online tracking down paedophiles to help keep the internet safe for children.

"Today's result should send out a strong deterrent message to anyone considering that the internet is a suitable place to illegally target children.

"This type of criminal activity is being monitored and enforced by undercover police officers who identify those responsible and take such behaviour extremely seriously."