Teacher admits years of abuse

From the archive, first published Tuesday 19th Feb 2002.

A teacher has admitted sexually abusing 19 pupils while looking after them at after-school clubs and summer camps.

John Walker, 58, of Blackthorn Close, Headington, admitted 35 counts of abusing children as young as seven at an Oxfordshire school during the 1970s and 1980s.

One witness claims to have warned the school about him in the late 1980s, but police were not called to investigate until more than decade later.

After leaving the state primary school, he worked at Rye St Antony independent school in Oxford for more than a year before being arrested in November, 2000. None of the charges related to pupils there.

The case has led to calls for tougher checks on teachers moving between the state and independent sectors.

At Oxford Crown Court yesterday, Judge Christopher Compston told Walker he was going to prison for "a very long time".

Sandra Stanfield, prosecuting, said the victims were 12 boys and seven girls.

She said: "Mr Walker abused both boys and girls in a pattern that became familiar. He had his favourites. If you weren't in, you were out. If you were out, you would be subjected to bullying and humiliation in front of class. If you were in, you became the subject of sexual abuse."

One boy was abused regularly between the ages of 12 and 16. He was molested at Walker's home and at chess tournaments.

Walker started abusing one girl during PE lessons when she was ten. Miss Stanfield added Walker regularly visited the girls' dormitory at an annual summer camp and would molest children. He also invited children on midnight walks where he would isolate one child, whom he would abuse.

He also wrote chess books, and invited children back to his home -- where he lived alone with his mother -- to help with proof-reading.

One boy was abused after Walker offered to introduce him to golf and they stayed after school to practise. Walker would also be present in both boys' and girls' changing rooms during swimming lessons.

Walker denied 20 similar offences alleged to have taken place between January 1, 1975, and December 31, 1984. The charges were left to lie on the file.

He was remanded in custody until April, when he will be sentenced. The judge adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports.

Det Insp Simon Barter said police were told by a witness that she had contacted the school in the late 1980s after she complained about Walker's improper behaviour towards children.

He said: "That was never reported to the police. There was never a police investigation. When we heard that from the witness in early 2001, that was the first we knew about it."

Oxfordshire County Council education officer John Mitchell was unable to confirm that Walker's behaviour had been brought to their attention in the 1980s.

He said Walker's file had been routinely destroyed three years after leaving his job at the state school.

But Mr Mitchell said the case highlighted concerns about the ease with which sex offenders were able to move between state and independent schools. He said: "Once a teacher has left the local education authority their file is destroyed, unless there is anything in it that implies disciplinary action. This suggests that his file contained no reference to disciplinary action.

"One of our responsibilities is the protection of young people, and the fact something like this could happen is of huge concern. With the benefit of hindsight it looks like we may have failed, in parallel with other agencies."

Alison Jones, the headteacher of Rye St Anthony School, where Walker worked from September, 1989, until November, 2000, said: "Prior to hiring him we carried out our usual checks with the Department of Education and the police and there was nothing at all to indicate anything untoward or to raise any suspicions.

"We are shocked and saddened by what has happened, but we are confident none of our pupils have been assaulted by him."

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