Former Garth Hill School PE Teacher, Mr Graham Tattersall, has been found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict for non-recent sex offences against children in Bracknell. He has since been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Tattersall, abused the girls when he worked at Garth Hill School in Bracknell between 1978 and 1991. During this time, his female victims were aged between 12 and 16 years old.

Tattersall abused his position of trust as a School Teacher to gain access to the victims, and the abuse they were subjected to happened at his home address and at Garth Hill School, now known as Garth Hill College.

It is recorded that the allegations came to light in 2017, after a victim reported to Thames Valley Police that she had been raped by Tattersall in a cupboard after being asked to put sports equipment away.

Following the commencement of this criminal investigation in 2017 and an appeal by the Police, a number of other victims came forward.

Tattersall was accused on undoing bra straps of two pupils during gym lessons, groping another as she lay of the floor after injuring herself, putting his hand up the skirt of another pupil and kissing two girls on the mouth.

Tattersall was first arrested in July 2018 and, following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, was charged with the offences on the 17th January 2020.

Following a seven-day trial at Reading Crown Court, on the 30th October 2020 Tattersall was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, seven counts of indecent assault and four counts of indecency with a child.

Often in cases of this nature, victims are able to bring claims against the offenders personally, but unfortunately, they often lack the assets to make this worthwhile.

As a result of the psychological harm caused, his victims may be entitled to Criminal Injuries Compensation Application (CICA) Award.  The CICA is a government funded body for the victims of blameless crimes.

Not only may they be entitled to CICA Awards, but in many other cases whereby we have been instructed to act on behalf of victims who have also been abused by their school teachers, claims against the Local Authority have been presented as a result of the abuse suffered by them which has unfortunately had a profound impact on their lives.

Claims will be presented against the Local Authority as they are legally responsible for the actions of the teacher.

Unfortunately, all of Tattersalls victims will have and most probably will undoubtedly still suffer significant psychological harm due to his actions, and for these victims we realise there is unfortunately no getting away from what happened to them in their early years however pursing a claim often helps our clients to bring closure to their ordeal following the sentence to provide the resources to fund medical treatment and therapy they may require.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of abuse at the hands of Graham Tattersall, we appreciate that it is often difficult to talk about what has happened, however our team is experienced and dedicated to speak with you in the strictest of confidence. Call our dedicated abuse line on 0330 134 6430 or alternatively you can email me.