A former west London rugby coach who filmed and sexually abused boys in his care has been jailed for three years and eight months after admitting 17 sexual offences.

David Simmons, 26, of Greystones Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on May 4 and was sentenced there on Thursday (June 29).

Simmons, who started his own west London coaching business in 2001 for boys aged eight to 16, admitted seven counts of voyeurism and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

On top of this, he admitted four counts of sexual assault, two of sexual assault on a male, and three of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.

After a search was carried out at Simmons' home in September 2015, officers discovered 43,701 indecent photographs of children.

Detective Chief Inspector Zena Marshall, from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "Simmons abused the trust that was placed in him by both the victims and their parents; this was a terrible betrayal.

"I hope the families can have some satisfaction that Simmons has been brought to account and is now facing the serious consequences of his actions."

Simmons, who used various rugby clubs and facilities to teach young boys in west London, employed a former friend in early 2014.

In March 2014, the friend noticed a digital clock positioned on the wall above a toilet and later found five similar clocks in a filing cabinet.

In August 2014, he took a closer inspection of the clocks in the cabinet and found some contained SD memory cards and all had camera lenses positioned at the front.

After researching the clocks on the internet, he found them to be "spy" recording devices which could be remotely controlled and he later found the remote in a pot on Simmons' desk.

The friend reported his suspicions to the police in September 2015, after which officers carried out a warrant at Simmons's then home in Ashford and his offices in Teddington.

Police found several spy cameras in clocks and found a shower gel bottle which had been cut in half and contained a covert recording device.

He was arrested for voyeurism when the warrant was carried out on September 30, 2015.

After police seized memory cards and laptops, video recordings were found of Simmons getting boys to undress so he could perform inappropriate body fat percentage tests.

On top of that, there were images of children using the toilet and showering, which Simmons has since admitted were for his sexual gratification.

Later, a number of indecent photographs of children were found – 3,025 category A, 3,799 category B and 36,877 category C.

An NSPCC spokesman condemned the behaviour of Simmons as “despicable and devious”.

She said: “Simmons' behaviour was despicable and devious. He breached the trust given to him by the young players he coached and by their parents, who had every right to believe their children were in safe hands.

“Anyone who wishes to obtain advice and support about this case should contact the NSPCC’s dedicated helpline on 0800 731 9256.”

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