DEAN JURIC – TYNEMOUTH

A former headteacher who told paedophiles online he loved “young girls” has been handed a suspended sentence.

Dean Juric, 54, who ran St Robert of Newminster School in Washington, Sunderland, was unmasked by an undercover officer who posed as a paedophile on a social media site, where Juric exchanged child sexual abuse fantasies with other men.

Officers later found more than 30,000 indecent images of children on his phone, a court heard.

Juric, from Tynemouth, was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 18 months, after admitting three counts of making and distributing indecent images of children and one of distributing an indecent image.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Juric shared a picture of two schoolgirls in uniform, aged around 15, with the police decoy.

He later sent an indecent image of a girl aged about 14 “posing in a sexual manner with her breasts partially exposed”, the prosecution said.

Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, told the court that in November 2024, Juric messaged the decoy again and asked “if they were horny and what were they into” before sending a video of a “young girl” in tight-fitting clothing to the police officer.

This led police to raid his home, seizing two mobile phones.

Investigators found 54 category A images, including 23 videos, 36 category B images, and 290 category C stills and videos on one phone, along with chats between Juric and other paedophiles on the social media site.

One man asked him what turned him on and he replied: “Schoolgirl”, the court heard.

Discussing an image of a girl who appeared to be about 14 years old, Juric said: “perfect age”.

When asked what he was “into”, Juric replied: “Love young girls.”

In addition to his suspended sentence, Judge Graham Robinson ordered Juric to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and to undertake 40 days of rehabilitation.

He started the sentencing by saying: “You have fallen a long way from grace – many years of dedicated service to the community, now all thrown away.”

Speaking about Juric’s background, the judge said: “There’s another side to you that is not only good, it is exemplary. I also note you have taken steps to deal with what you recognise is unacceptable, criminal behaviour.”

The judge praised courses to rehabilitate such offenders, adding that he knew of only two cases where someone taking them had reoffended.

He told Juric: “I am entirely satisfied that there’s not only a realistic possibility of rehabilitation, but it is a near certainty.”

Juric, of Tynemouth, North Tyneside, must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

Speaking after the sentencing, a spokesperson for Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs St Robert of Newminster School, said: “We unequivocally condemn the actions of Dean Juric. We are satisfied that every aspect of due process has been rigorously upheld, culminating in today’s sentencing.

“Throughout the investigation, our Trust fully cooperated with Northumbria Police, demonstrating absolute transparency. Legal constraints prevented us from sharing details with the school community, but our priority was always to protect the integrity of the process and the safety of our pupils.

“There were never any warning signs or concerns about Dean Juric’s behaviour. His arrest in January was a profound shock and betrayal of the trust placed in him by our entire community. Our Trust acted immediately and decisively, suspending Dean Juric upon learning of the arrest. He no longer has any association with our Trust.