A former secondary school teacher from South Croydon has been jailed for seven and a half years after admitting 13 child sexual offences.
Clive Bartram, 58, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on 21 October after pleading guilty to offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children and indecent images.
Bartram was arrested at his home on 15 June 2025, following an investigation launched after intelligence identified an online account suspected of sharing indecent material with children.
Officers seized mobile phones, laptops and USB devices during a search of his home. Detectives later discovered Bartram had access to another mobile phone which he had initially denied possessing. The device was subsequently found in a neighbouring garden after it had been thrown from a window.
Digital forensic investigations uncovered Category A, B and C indecent images of children across multiple devices and cloud-based accounts.
Police also found evidence that Bartram had communicated directly with children online and obtained indecent images from victims by offering gift vouchers and other incentives.
He had also used photographs of a vulnerable person known to him to create online personas to communicate with children, telling the person it was “their secret”.
Five victims aged between 14 and 16 were identified during the investigation, with safeguarding measures put in place.
What Bartram admitted
Bartram pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity involving penetration, and four counts involving non-penetrative sexual activity.
He also admitted six counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, and one count of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13 to 17.
As well as his prison sentence, Bartram was handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements. He has also been barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
What the orders mean
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order can place restrictions on an offender’s behaviour, including their use of the internet and contact with children, and can last indefinitely. Breaching the order is itself a criminal offence.
Notification requirements mean Bartram must keep the police informed of his address and other personal details for a set period after his release. Being barred from working with children and vulnerable adults means he cannot take up regulated roles in schools, care settings or similar positions.
At the time of the investigation, Bartram was working as a secondary school teacher. The offences were uncovered through a police investigation into online activity, rather than through a complaint from a school.
Support for anyone affected
Anyone affected by child sexual abuse can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, free and in confidence, or Childline on 0800 1111. In an emergency, always call 999.
