Simon Clague, ex- maths teacher and hockey coach at Repton School, an exclusive private school in Derbyshire charging £11,000 per term, was jailed on the 3rd March after admitting to abusing 13 and 14-year-old girls in his care.
Clague groomed and sexually abused young pupils in the 1990s, albeit he was investigated and charged only three years ago following the coming forward of three brave victims.
The court heard powerful impact statements from the three victims, who detailed the effect of the abuse upon their adolescence and adult lives.
The first victim was just 13 years old when Clague took advantage of her, initially befriending her and inviting her to his house. He quickly began to display a sexual interest in her, giving her gifts and writing her letters. Prosecutor James Bide-Thomas told that court that Clague would use any excuse to coerce the victim into his bedroom.
In her statement, the victim stated, ‘this was innocence of my childhood he stole from me and it is important Mr Clague realises the effects.’
‘It was hard knowing there was a revolving door and it hurt to see him with the next young thing.’
‘This was no secret to anyone at the school who laughed at the absurdity that it was happening. I feel sick to the core at what happened to me. The damage he has done to me is irreversible and will last for the rest of my life.’
The second victim described a similar experience of ‘textbook grooming’, which included Clague encouraging her to miss school days to spend the day in bed with him.
This was said to be swept under the carpet by the school, which in turn invalidated the victim’s feelings and deterred her from reporting the abuse. The victim eventually went to the police four years ago and since then has felt isolated and unable to talk about it.
In her victim statement, the third victim described Clague as calculated and manipulative in his approach. She told the court that he was supposed to help her with her studies and instead he used her for his ‘own perverted reasons.’
Clague pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child. Following his admission of guilt, Judge Shaun Smith QC sentenced Clague to 7 years and 11 months and in doing so he addressed the victims, stating ‘the sentence I am going to pass can’t give you your lives back, but I hope they bring some closure.’
Judge Smith QC then addressed Clague. He told the Defendant, ‘what you did for your own personal pleasure affected the emotional lives and well-being of the victims…you used and abused your position as a teacher for sexual gratification.’
Following the sentencing, Repton School have spoken out about the matter. An apology has been made to the victims for failing to protect them, and the school added that any former pupils looking to contact the institution in relation to similar matters will be taken extremely seriously.
The chairman of the school, Mark Shires, promised that safeguarding is now a top priority of the school. Shires stated, ‘that a former member of staff should have behaved in such an appalling and cynical way is deeply shocking. It was a terrible betrayal of trust and we applaud his victims for seeing him brought to justice.’
‘Plainly, something went badly wrong for his victims not to have been properly looked after by our school. That is something for which we are profoundly sorry.’
Here at Farleys, we have acted on numerous cases in which teachers have exploited their position of trust and authority to gain access to and abuse children in their care.
Although nothing can ever take away the pain and suffering that the abuse has caused, there are legal routes to redress for survivors, who may be entitled to bring a civil claim or apply for Criminal Injuries Compensation where there has been a police investigation/ conviction. Many civil claims proceed as vicarious liability cases against the employer of the teacher.
The main priority in these cases is to ensure that survivors are compensated adequately enough to allow them access to support. Our aim is to ensure valuable resources are secured for survivors, enabling them to move on with their lives.
The specialist abuse department at Farleys have unrivalled experience in this area and our solicitors will always consider the ways in which a Client’s past, present and future has been/ will be affected by the abuse.
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher, we are available to help and assist. Our dedicated team tirelessly support hundreds of survivors throughout the process, treating every case with the sensitivity, confidentiality and integrity that each deserves.
Contact us in confidence on our dedicated abuse line on 0330 134 6430, by email or by using the chat tab below.
