A SPORTS coach who had sex with a 14-year-old girl in a classroom at the primary school where he worked has been jailed for eight years.

Glyn Thompson’s teenage victim even took a pregnancy test to ensure she was not carrying the Burnley teacher’s baby, during an 18-month affair, Preston Crown Court was told.

The 30-year-old father-of-one ‘groomed’ the youngster over a series of weeks, initially swapping e-mails, then exchanging naked pictures of each other.

But this eventually progressed to kissing, oral sex and then full intercourse with the girl, the court heard.

Prosecutor Sylvia Dacre said the girl would later tell police she felt ‘scared’ - but Thompson would persist and she eventually went along with what he wanted.

He had sex with her over a desk at Stoneyholme Primary School and also had sex with her in his then-home, her home and his car.

Miss Dacre said the kissing occurred when the girl was 13 and the sexual activity took place when she was 14.

Interviewed by specialist detectives later, the girl said she initially didn’t know what was happening but felt ‘pressurised’ and ‘scared’.

The court heard the girl eventually revealed what had been happened to a friend she had made online. She refused to report what was happening to the authorities.

But the friend anonymously contacted the school, outlining what had happened, and this revelation eventually led to Thompson’s arrest.

The teacher initially denied any sexual misconduct but later made admissions, although he tried to minimise the number of times it had occurred.

Philip Holden, defending, said: “He is a man with no previous convictions who has lost his job and his good name, admittedly through his own fault."

Thompson, of Padiham Road, Burnley, had been ‘very frank’ with police about what had happened, said Mr Holden, and wanted to express his deep remorse to the victim, her family, and his own family.

Jailing him, Judge Jonathan Bibson said: “It is clear to me that she was young and naive and inexperienced when you began grooming her.”

Thompson admitted eight offences of sexual activity with a child and one charge of engaging a child in sexual activity, for offences which took place between July 2011 and September 2012.

Speaking after the case Det Con Liz Owens: “I am pleased with the sentence handed down to Thompson, given the horrendous ordeal he put his young victim through.

“He took advantage of a young girl and groomed her over a long period of time. We will continue to work with other agencies to support her and hope that today’s sentence will bring her some closure.”

Lisa Davison, headteacher at Stoneyholme Primary School, confirmed Thompson had been sacked.

She said: "Mr Thompson was immediately suspended from his role in school and has since been dismissed.

"Stoneyholme Primary has robust child protection procedures in place to deal with this kind of case.

"I am pleased that this matter has been dealt with so quickly and that Mr Thompson has received a lengthy prison sentence."