Police have been called in after teachers at a Church of England primary school had their pictures stolen and used to create fake profiles on escorting websites.
The malicious campaign against staff at St John’s Church of England Primary in Canterbury, Kent, began in 2016 and at least three people have been targeted.
The school’s head of welfare and inclusion, Kirsty Pellant, has said she has been left traumatised by the online posts and even considered quitting her job.
Several photoshopped images of Miss Pellant have been shared on adult websites alongside her name and pornographic videos featuring a woman who looks like her.
Kirsty Pellant, pictured, has had her photos stolen from social media and used on escorting websites
The 37-year-old is the head of welfare and inclusion at St John’s Church of England Primary in Canterbury, Kent (pictured: one of the fake photos posted on an adult website)
Fake photos have appeared on several websites where the poster claims she has starred in several private adult movies.
Some of the posts have been shared on Facebook by concerned parents, and the school has now warned that those circulating the fake pictures could face prosecution for making malicious communications.
Miss Pellant, who has been working at the school since 2012, said the damaging posts first appeared in 2016.
She told BBC South East Today: ‘Personally it has had massive implications on my life and it has been a really stressful year.
‘Seeing myself put on a lot of these dating sites with really inappropriate material mixed in with my photos from Facebook was really distressing.
‘I could have crumbled because it has been so shocking and upsetting, but I have to keep fighting.
‘I have made it my mission to take down as many of the posts as possible, but they keep appearing and it’s a long and arduous task.’
Fresh posts have appeared online in recent weeks, with some being shared on a community Facebook page called Canterbury Residents Group which has more than 23,000 members.
Miss Pellant told Kent Online: ‘It’s scary, and I have no idea what the motivation behind it is but it has hit me hard and I shouldn’t have to go through this.
‘Of course I worry that some people might think it’s true, but all the parents I have spoken to have been very supportive.’
The fake posts first began appearing in 2016. Miss Pellant said: ‘It’s scary, and I have no idea what the motivation behind it is but it has hit me hard and I shouldn’t have to go through this’
Fake photos of Miss Pellant appeared in a profile on one site that claimed she is comfortable taking part in pornographic movies. A photo gallery linked to her profile features her normal Facebook photos alongside fake photoshopped ones and nude photos of another pornstar
Miss Pellant has said her role in safeguarding children made the attack on her even harder to deal with because of the potential damage to her character.
She added: ‘It’s hard to come into school while someone is trying to tarnish your reputation but I haven’t lost any focus on the job, which remains my priority.
‘We have to be challenging to parents sometimes but that is only because we want the best for the children.’
Miss Pellant has the full support of the school, governors and Kent County Council.
Head teacher Jo Warnock said: ‘This is online bullying and will not be tolerated. We are absolutely desperate to find out who is responsible and to see them prosecuted.
‘It’s also important for children to know that it’s not right and we do something about it. It is extremely distressing for the staff involved and their families.
One of the fake profiles (pictured)claims to detail her bra size, her measurements and details about both her underarm and pubic hair
‘We are working hard to continue as normal as we do not want to see such a malicious person affect the education of the children.’
School governors have written to all parents telling them about the ‘malicious and unfounded’ attacks, urging them not to share images or links.
A letter from chair of governors says: ‘The school and local authority are taking these incidents extremely seriously and are seeking legal advice in relation to the propagation of any images or information related to them.
‘If you have received such links, images or website addresses, we request you to inform the head teacher with any details of how the message was sent and from whom.’
Miss Pellant added: ‘Even if someone is caught and it stops, this stuff will still be available on Google searches and I will have to delete everything about me.
‘I’d have to make myself virtually disappear to get rid of it.’
A Kent Police spokesman said: ‘Kent Police is investigating a report of harassment, which was made on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 in Canterbury.’
Her profile appears on several websites where she is identified as an ‘active’ pornstar from ther UK