February 2016

Teacher groomed schoolgirl for sex

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A drama teacher has been jailed after grooming a 14-year-old pupil in his school office and smearing her body with NUTELLA during one sexual assault.

Married teacher Andrew Victor Willson licked the chocolate spread off the teenager during a perverted sex session before sending the youngster to catch the bus home. 

On one occasion he pulled her out of a science lesson so they could have sex at a friend’s house, whilst on another he groped her in his school office. 

The teacher even befriended the girls’ parents over their mutual love for Leeds United football club and went to great lengths to ensure the grooming would not be discovered. 

He would give her leading roles in school plays so he got to spend more time with her and would kiss the schoolgirl, who was 14 or 15 at the time, whilst giving her a lift home.

Willson, who was a teacher at Fearns High School in Bacup, Lancashire, was jailed for 20 months after admitting the affair, which took place in the mid-90s. 

The court heard Willson first had sex after the girl and her family visited him and his wife at their new home down south following a Leeds United game. 

Prosecutor Emma Kehoe said Willson, now 48, was a “trendy, young teacher” when he first arrived at the school who was popular with a number of students, but especially the girls.

The girl, who met him while she was in Year Eight, shone at drama and was soon being cast in lead roles plays by the drama teacher, which involved her spending a lot of time in his company both inside and away from school.

Willson’s first indecent assault on the girl occurred in his office at Fearns, when he kissed the youngster and rubbed her over her clothing.

Ms Kehoe told the court: “As soon as any contact between them began she that she felt butterflies in her stomach. 

The victim described one assault during which the pair smeared Nutella on each other’s naked bodies then licked it off.

The court was told that the pair spent much of the day naked in each other’s company, as they moved around the house.

Afterwards he made sure that the girl was returned to school to catch the bus home, so her parents would not become suspicious about where she had been. 

Ms Kehoe said: “The two of them had Nutella and they licked it from their naked bodies.

“Mr Willson was very keen that she got home to catch the school bus though because her parents knew nothing of what was going on.”

He would later kiss her while giving her a lift home and twice involved the girl in carrying out a sex act on him.

Philip Holden, defending, said the teacher had lost his job, his reputation, his marriage and would now lose his home. 

Willson was anxious as he was the main carer for his severely-disabled 23-year-old son, he added. 

Jailing him, Judge Jonathan Gibson said he had given consideration as to whether the sentence could be suspended.

The judge said: “It seems to me, given the pupil-teacher relationship, that simply cannot be.” 

Willson, now of Church Hall, Hollowell, Northampton, admitted five offences of indecent assault. 

He was jailed for 20 months when he appeared before Burnley Crown Court.