The case concerned twenty-four counts of indecent assault committed against schoolboys between 1976 and 1994, of which the Defendant was convicted of twenty-three.
The case was a sensitive one, with the grooming and abuse spanning the teaching career of the Defendant, across seven different victims. It involved complex issues arising from the offences being historic in nature, issues about the Defendant’s character and several prosecution witnesses giving evidence, in addition to the victims themselves.
HHJ Rayfield sentenced the Defendant on Friday 10 May 2024 at Leeds Crown Court to twenty-three years in custody. She noted the extent of the grooming behaviour of the Defendant in targeting boys who were vulnerable for various reasons, as well as recognising the ‘devastating consequences for years to come on those connected to Victims’ following the abuse.
The case has been reported as below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd1qqxgl2qdo
https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2024-05-13/paedophile-subjected-boys-to-appalling-catalogue-of-abuse-over-three-decades