Edinburgh school support worker who took pupil to flat during school hours and had sex with her jailed

Peter Hunter groomed the child while working at a high school in Edinburgh and took her to his home and a rented flat in the capital’s city centre to have sex with her.

Hunter, 42, abused the schoolgirl in a classroom by pretending to help her with her schoolwork while touching her thighs and making sexual comments as she sat at her desk.

The school worker also sent the child vile images of his penis and told her to call him “daddy” during the sordid contact over a 14 month period.

Following his arrest Hunter then breached bail conditions not to contact the child by arranging for her to visit him and organising secret video calls with her.

Hunter pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust between November 2023 and March last year when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. | TSPL

A school source said: “We were totally shocked to hear what Hunter had been doing. It’s outrageous to think this was going on at the school, a place that should be a place of safety for children. What he has done has to be considered the biggest breach of trust that a school employee can commit, whether that be a teacher or class support worker or a janitor.

“It wasn’t common knowledge among the staff until around the time he was arrested last year but then the whole story came out and we’ve been reeling ever since. He was quite a likeable and personable guy and I would never have expected this from him.”

Hunter pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust between November 2023 and March last year when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. He also admitted to breaching his bail conditions by contacting and meeting the girl between August last year and January this year.

He has been remanded in custody since January and was sentenced on April 24. Sheriff Robert Fife jailed the school support worker for a total of 29 months and issued a non-harassment order banning contact with his victim for 10 years.

Hunter was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and his name will be added to the list of those banned from working with children and vulnerable adults in the future.

Prosecutor Matthew Miller told the court Hunter, from Newhaven, Edinburgh, was a pupil support worker at the high school and had been employed in that role since 2021.

Mr Miller said Hunter began grooming the schoolgirl by telling her he “fancied” her and “wanted to be her husband” before kissing her on the lips at the school gym hall in December 2023. The court heard Hunter had rented out a city centre apartment where he took the child to have sex and that he would text her during school hours and kiss her when no one was in the room.

Mr Miller added: “Other times he would pretend to sit next to her and help with her work but would be rubbing her legs under the desk and uttering sexual comments to her.”

Hunter also took the child back to his flat during school lunch hours where he would have sex with her. The worker was spotted with the girl outside school hours and he was said to have “denied having a sexual relationship with her” when confronted by his head teacher.

Mr Miller added: “During this time the accused was providing the complainer with some money and cigarettes. Throughout the time they spent together the accused provided her with money, cannabis and alcohol.

“A cyber crime report of the accused’s mobile shows regular sexualised texts between both parties and the accused sending images of his penis to her.”

Hunter was arrested in March last year and after initially refusing to talk to police the child changed her mind and provided a full statement.