Two former staff members at St Paul’s school still being investigated over historic sexual abuse

The Met Police on Thursday (January 16) confirmed that “on October 23 2017, police received an allegation of non-recent sexual abuse said to have taken place in the Barnes area between 2000 and 2002.”

Later, on February 15, 2018, they received an allegation of “non-recent sexual abuse said to have taken place in the Barnes area between 1988 and 1989.”

Officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command are investigating.

They said they were “aware” of the Serious Case Review report published by Kingston and Richmond Local Safeguarding Children Board, but due to ongoing investigations they were not in a position to comment further.

This week (January 13) a review was published into systemic abuse over five decades at St Paul’s School in Barnes that demanded the school make an “unambiguous statement” that it accepts full responsibility for the abuse experienced by pupils at the school.

In recent years, five former staff have been convicted of sexual offences, while one former staff member stood trial and was found not guilty.

But how was it uncovered and who was convicted?

2014

Analysis by The Times newspaper showed that teachers at 130 independent schools had been implicated in sex crimes against hundreds of children.

This prompted ex-pupils and survivors to contact the newspaper and the police to tell their stories, resulting in arrests.

The police launched a criminal inquiry into decades of alleged sexual abuse at St Paul’s School and Colet’s Court (a junior division of St Paul’s Preparatory School), principally focussing on the period between the 1960s and 1990s.

A former head of history at St Paul’s received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, for possessing indecent images of boys.

Alan Doggett, director of music at Colet Court, is named as a teacher accused of historic sexual abuse. It is revealed he was allowed to resign from the school after suspected serial abuse of a young pupil was exposed, but was then allowed to teach at the City of London School. He died by suicide in 1978 shortly after being charged with indecently assaulting a boy at another school.

It is revealed that another teacher, Paul Topham, was said to have committed offences against a boy in the late 1960s and was part of an inquiry held in 2000. However, he denied any impropriety and was not prosecuted. He died in 2012 aged 80.

2015

An ex-Classics teacher was given a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting possession of thousands of indecent images of boys on his school computer.

Operation Winthorpe, which was was initially run by the Metropolitan police’s child abuse unit, becomes part of Operation Winter Key.

This is led by Detective Superintendent Ang Scott, of Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crime command.

2016

Former PE teacher, Michael Ellis, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for indecently assaulting two teenage boys.

David Sansom-Mallett received 14 years and nine months in jail for a catalogue of abuse at Colet Court.

Another teacher who was accused of buggery and indecent assaults involving three boys was formally found not guilty after the Crown offered no evidence against him.

Court orders prevented reporting of their convictions until 2017, at the end of Patrick Marshall’s trial.

2017

Geography teacher and rowing coach Patrick Marshall is jailed for 18 years at Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of 24 counts of indecent assault on 10 former pupils at St Paul’s and another school during the 1970s and 80s.

A serious case review into decades of alleged abuse is commissioned by Richmond Safeguarding Children Board.

2018

The serious case review notes that a science teacher who had previously taught at the school for 17 years was arrested in the Thames Valley Police area. He was tracked by the police having ‘sexualised’ online communication with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

2020

The serious case review is published and demands the school make an “unambiguous statement” that it accepts full responsibility for the abuse experienced by pupils at the school.

By this point, 16 teachers alleged to have abused boys are deceased.

The report makes 28 recommendations to improve safeguarding of children, nine of which related specifically to the school.

A spokesperson from St Paul’s School, said the school accepts its recommendations.

They add: “We accept full responsibility for the past abuse experienced by pupils at the school and have previously apologised to survivors and our wider school community. Today, we repeat that apology unreservedly to those who have come forward and to those who have not felt able to. Our modern safeguarding regime is of a very high standard and we are determined to ensure, through continuous improvement of practice, that we never forget the lessons of our past.”

The BBC reports that victims of sexual abuse at the school have so far been paid compensation of more than £500,000.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the impact of child sexual abuse, directly or indirectly, and would like some help or support, you may wish to speak to your GP who can refer you locally for counselling.

You can find out more, or seek help and support over the phone, face to face, or online, at The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) https://napac.org.uk/what-napac-does/ and The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/signs-symptoms-effects/nonrecent-abuse/

Allegations in respect of abuse at St Paul’s School should be reported to the police Operation Winter Key. The police can be contacted by telephone on 020 8217 6582 or email at OperationWinterKeymailbox@met.pnn.police.uk