Headteacher found with hundreds of indecent images of girls on phone avoids jail
Dean Juric, 54, admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of distributing an indecent image.
A former headteacher who told a fellow paedophile he loved “young girls” has been handed a suspended sentence after a judge said he expected him to be rehabilitated.
Dean Juric, 54, was head of St Robert of Newminster School in Washington, Tyne and Wear, when he was arrested at home last January and officers found hundreds of indecent images on a phone.
They had been alerted after the married father was caught by a police decoy who posed as a paedophile on a social media site.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Juric shared a picture of two schoolgirls in uniform, aged about 15, with the decoy.
He went on to share an indecent image of a girl aged around 14 “posing in a sexual manner with her breasts partially exposed,” the prosecution said.
Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said that in November 2024, Juric messaged the decoy again.
“The defendant asked the decoy if they were horny and what were they into,” the court heard.
He then sent a video of a “young girl” in tight-fitting clothing to the police officer.
That led police to raid his home and on an iPhone, analysts later found 54 category A images including 23 videos, 36 category B images and 290 category C stills and videos.
They also found conversations between Juric and other paedophiles on the social media app.
One asked him what turned him on and he replied: “Schoolgirl”.
About an image of a girl who appeared to be around 14, Juric messaged “perfect age”, the court heard.
And when asked what he was “into”, Juric replied: “Love young girls.”
Juric admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of distributing an indecent image.
Judge Graham Robinson handed him an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him 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.
A spokesman for Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs St Robert of Newminster School where Juric was head, 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.
“We extend our gratitude to Northumbria Police for their relentless pursuit of justice, their vigilance, and their unwavering resolve in bringing Dean Juric to account.”
The trust said it had referred Juric to teaching authorities which could bar him.
It added: “We have taken decisive action to support the school and are fully committed to rebuilding and strengthening our community after this deeply unsettling period.
“We want to thank our staff and parents at St Robert’s who have worked together to support one another and maintain stability for our pupils, at this time.
“To all parents and carers: safeguarding is, and will always remain, our highest priority.
“We will not tolerate any breach of trust, and we will continue to do everything in our power to protect every child in our care.”
