A teacher and football coach has been jailed for 16 years after being convicted of sexual assault offences against a child.

Micheal Smee was found guilty of raping a child aged under 13 years old, following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to five further counts of sexual activity with a child, with the offences occurring between January 2013 and April last year.

On top of the jail term, Smee will spend a further eight years on extended licence.

The 39-year-old former PE teacher and football coach from Stevenage must serve at least 10 years behind bars before being considered for parole.

Upon sentencing, the judge told Smee: “I am in no doubt whatsoever that you pose a significant risk to members of the public, particularly young boys.

“You are every parent’s nightmare.”

Smee will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and a restraining order has been put in place banning him from contacting his victim or family members.

Detective Constable Zoe Maddison, who was the investigating officer on the case, said: “Smee abused his position of trust as a teacher and football coach to groom his young victim over a significant period of time.

“The victim’s family trusted Smee and they have been left devastated by what has happened.

“I hope that, following Smee’s conviction and his substantial prison sentence, his victim is now, with support, able to rebuild his life and move forward.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the victim for his bravery throughout the criminal investigation and court proceedings.”

Frances Bush from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Smee took advantage of a position of trust and his victim's love of sport to commit these terrible acts.

"It is thanks to the victim's bravery in coming forward and the hard work of specialist detectives and specialist CPS prosecutors that he will be unable to continue his offending."

Detective Inspector Lynda Coates, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “It takes tremendous courage for victims of sexual offences to report them to police and I would like to reassure the public that Hertfordshire Constabulary has specialist officers to support victims of these types of crimes.

“Whilst the Constabulary does have a dedicated team of trained specialist staff who investigate these types of offences, I understand that victims may still feel more comfortable contacting another agency first.

“You can contact the Sunflower Centre on 08 088 088 088 (Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm) or visit www.hertssunflower.org.

“Alternatively, make a self-referral to a sexual assault referral  centre (SARC), which provides comprehensive advice, guidance and support to men, women and young people who have experienced sexual assault, whether this happened in the past or recently. They can be contacted via the free telephone number 0808 802 9999.”