A TEACHER living in Llangeitho sent a female pupil a photograph of himself naked with his genitals covered by a smiley face emoji, a court heard.

Christopher Wood, 33, had also allegedly made internet searches for phrases including ‘sex with teacher’ and ‘student, teacher and sex’ before he joined a school in Birmingham.

The teacher, previously of Dorridge, West Midlands, but currently living in Llangeitho, is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court where he has denied inciting a child to engage in sexual activity while a teacher at a school in Solihull.

He has also pleaded not guilty to two charges of causing a child to watch a sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.

Michelle Heeley QC, prosecuting, said: “The defendant is a teacher and whilst as teacher he breached the trust placed in him by sending naked pictures of himself to a student.

“The Crown’s case is there is a sexual element in his behaviour.”

She said Wood had started working at the school in September 2015.

“He had only been there a short period of time before these offences took place,” Miss Heeley claimed.

She said one girl became very close to him and she and her friends would hang around the chemistry lab where the defendant worked.

Miss Heeley said that on Bonfire Night, Wood had “inappropriately” given the girls Coke with Jack Daniels and on another occasion he had also taken vodka to the school.

She claimed Wood and the girl became closer and began to communicate on Snapchat with the teacher using the tag, ‘I don’t give a f....’

“In December 2015 the Crown say Wood sent this girl several pictures of himself semi-naked,” said Miss Heeley.

“They had a discussion about whether she was fat and going to the gym and she sent pictures of herself wearing a towel.”

The prosecutor said Wood then sent a picture of himself fully naked apart from an emoji sticker and the teenager responded by sending one of herself topless.

The photos sent by the teacher then became even more sexually explicit and were seen by the girl and also some of her friends, said Miss Heeley.

She alleged these included the defendant engaged in sexual activity with other women, including his wife.

“These were completely inappropriate images to be sent to a child,” Miss Heeley said.

Jurors were also told on one occasion Wood had left his phone in the chemistry lab and some of the pupils started looking through it.

“They found pornographic pictures including those of his wife,” said Miss Heeley.

“Rather than stopping them looking at the phone, he had a discussion with them.”

Miss Heeley said police later examined the defendant’s computer and found images of girls in school uniform, posing with garters and ribbons on their thighs.

Wood, she said, had also made searches which included ‘inappropriate relationships’ before he joined the school.

“It shows a sexual interest, an inappropriate interest in school girls,” said Miss Heeley.

The case continues.