‘Creepy’ married maths teacher, 39, made 15-year-old schoolgirl play sexual challenges while wife was away before luring her to bed

A ‘creepy’ maths teacher made a schoolgirl play a sexual game before luring her to bed.

Married James Stromfield, 39, who taught at a secondary school in Sussex, devised a sex game for the 15-year-old student to play at his home while his wife was away.

He wrote twelve sexual challenges, such as ‘removing an article of clothing’ or ‘making love’, on a piece of paper.

The teacher then pulled out a pair of dice and told her to roll the number corresponding to a sexual forfeit.

The game of sexual dares ended in February when he took her to bed where he sexually assaulted her.

Last week, Stromfield was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of incitement to sexual activity with a child.

The tearful victim said she was ‘sickened’ and ‘disgusted’ by his actions and was left ‘completely broken’.

Reading out a statement in court, she cried as she told how her life had been destroyed and that she had “flashbacks and nightmares” about her ordeal.

She said: “James Stromfield’s actions have affected me and my daily life in ways I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It feels like a part of me died on February 27th.

“I kept a big secret to myself and it was destroying me day after day.”

She said: ‘I wasn’t the one who should have known better. I was a child and still am. Mr. Stromfield is now 39.

“He took away a lot of important experiences that teenage girls should be able to feel.

“I scratched my skin because it no longer felt like it was mine after being touched by him.”

Hove Crown Court heard the girl had been a student at a secondary school where Stromfield taught maths.

When the teenager started having problems at home, she talked to the teacher regularly and began to trust him.

The director had to intervene and formally warned Stromfield not to have any more contact with the student.

But Stromfield downloaded an app, Proton, which automatically deletes messages, and continued to contact the girl using the app.

Orlando Gibbons, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim initially saw him as a friend, father figure and teacher. Over time, his messages to her became flirtatious and sexual, which she found a bit creepy.”

The court heard she tolerated the messages because she did not want to lose the teacher’s support and friendship.

When his wife was away, Stromfield arranged for the girl to come to his home in West Sussex.

The couple played the game of sexual forfeiture before going to bed where sexual activity took place.

However, the girl was followed to the address by her then boyfriend via the Snapchat app.

Stromfield was arrested by police on suspicion of child abduction but declined to comment. He was released on bail with strict instructions not to contact the victim.

Stromfield ignored bail conditions and the couple met again at his home in February while his wife was away.

They went to an upstairs guest room where sexual activity took place again before he drove her back into his car.

The girl’s father found handwritten notes in her purse written by the teacher to the teen.

The note read: ‘Sorry to hear it’s been hard for you, hopefully it helps that I’m thinking and missing you. If you would like to meet up sometime, see the instructions on the back. I’ll be there every day at 11 a.m. just in case you show up.”

A second note read: ‘I miss you so much and it’s very hard being apart. If you still want to come, come alone and make sure you are 100 percent sure that you cannot be followed. I love you so much Xx.”

Two days later, the victim returned to his home and went to his guest room where he raped her.

However, the police had already been called and came to the house while the victim and the teacher were naked in bed.

Stromfield quickly ordered her to put on some clothes before opening the door.

Police found the victim curled up in a ball on the guest room floor and the teacher was arrested again.

He was charged with a series of serious sex crimes, including rape, attempted rape and sexual activity with a child.

Jailing him Recorder Quincy Whittaker said: ‘You attended to the victim. Your behavior was abusive, exploitative and harmful to her.”

She said the teenager had suffered “psychological trauma” that could last her entire life.

Recorder Whittaker said that through “distorted and dysfunctional thinking” Stromfield had managed to convince himself that his sexual attention was somehow helping the girl with her problems at home and her self-esteem.

She told Stromfield he had to serve at least eight years before he was eligible for parole and ordered him to pay his victim £5,000 in compensation.