Married assistant headteacher who was head of safeguarding is jailed for sexually abusing young girls after using his position to groom them
- Terence Burke used his senior position at a school to groom vulnerable pupils
- Truro Crown Court heard the 75-year-old worked at the school for 30 years
- Two victims gave statements outlining the impact abuse has had on their lives
An assistant head teacher has been jailed for 18 years for sexually abusing vulnerable pupils in his care.
Terence Burke used his senior position at a school, where he was also head of safeguarding, to groom vulnerable students before going onto sexually abuse them.
Truro Crown Court heard that the 75-year-old, who worked at the school for 30 years, devastated the lives of his victims who believed they were in secret relationships with him.
Burke was previously convicted at trial of five indecent assaults, four charges of indecency with a child, indecency with a child, two charges of sexual activity with a child, three charges of sexual activity with a child by a person of trust, and two charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.
During the trial, Emily Pitts, prosecuting, told the jury that Burke, who is married, targeted two girls who were students at the school at the time.
She described how Burke, who now lives in Swindon, began helping them with their studies before he began pushing boundaries and making his relationships with them intimate.
The trial heard that he would meet the teenage girls outside the school and engage in sexual activity in hotels, occasionally in his home, and in the back of his car in lay-bys around Cornwall on a regular basis.
Terence Burke used his senior position at a school, where he was also head of safeguarding, to groom vulnerable students before going onto sexually abuse them
He showered them with messages, money and expensive gifts, and gave them affectionate nicknames. He also sent one lyrics to a song by Wyclef Jean, which could be interpreted as being about a secret relationship.
One relationship continued for around four years after the victim left school. In both cases, Burke groomed and had sexually abused the teenagers before their 16th birthdays.
At sentencing, the court was read two victim impact statements.
The first said: ‘When I was a child at school I believed I was in a relationship with him. I thought I loved him, he loved me and I was the only one.
‘He always pressed on me it was our secret and I would have done anything to protect him. It didn’t occur to me that the feeling weren’t real and looking back I can see he took advantage of my vulnerability and stole my childhood.’
The victim said that Burke spoke to her of committing the perfect murder, something she now can see was a plot to intimidate her to keep quiet. She added that she lives in fear that he will take revenge.
The second victim said: ‘I have always lacked confidence and relied on alcohol to deal with social situations. I cancel plans at the last minute due to anxiety and struggle to maintain relationships.
‘I made an attempt on my own life in 2014 and first overdosed in 2007 because I wanted peace and to escape from the mess my life was. I struggle with intimacy as it takes me back to memories of Terry Burke and his hands on me and it makes my skin crawl.’
The victim also told the court she was unable to put her child in the same school, even though it was their preference.
Neil Perry, representing Burke, told the court: ‘It’s a sad reality a man who has done such bad and harm has done a lot of good as well.’
Sentencing Burke to 18 years in prison, The Honourable Mr Justice Saini said to Burke: ‘You are now 75 years of age. The counts concern serious sexual offences committed by you between the years 2000 and 2005. Your victims were two vulnerable girls who were students under your care.
‘Your actions caused, and continue to cause, them serious emotional distress and ongoing mental health problems. They each lied to relevant authorities for some time to protect you. You made each of them feel they would be in trouble if anyone found out about what was happening.
Truro Crown Court heard that the 75-year-old, who worked at the school for 30 years, devastated the lives of his victims who believed they were in secret relationships with him
‘At the time you committed the offences you were in your mid-50s. You had been married for some 30 years. You remain married. You have told the court that your wife and family have stood by you in these proceedings, despite your admissions, that as regards Child A, you did indeed have a long-term sexual relationship with her from when she was 16 years of age for about four years.
‘You were the head of history and the safeguarding lead with an important pastoral role. You had been at the school for some 30 years, having joined the school in the early 1970s.
‘All witnesses, former teachers and former pupils alike, spoke of you as a teacher who was friendly, approachable and a person who would always go the extra mile for his students.
‘However, it is clear that you abused your position. What you did to Child A and Child B was the polar opposite of safeguarding. You exploited their vulnerabilities as teenage girls for your own sexual gratification over extended periods of time. Both girls were made to feel they were in special and secret relationships with you.
‘There was another person who gave evidence. I will call her Child C. She was not a complainant but a pupil who sought your assistance at a difficult personal time in her life after you had committed offences against Child A and Child B but when you were still in your role at the school.
‘Her evidence satisfied me that you are an experienced and accomplished groomer of young girls, using your role and friendly manner to groom girls under your care into sexual activity.
‘It was only through her own appreciation that something was wrong with your communications and behaviour towards her and the wisdom of her friends that she reported your conduct.
‘Although no part of my sentences reflect your conduct towards Child C, it is clear to me that absent intervention she would have been another victim of your predatory behaviour.
‘It was as a result of her reports that you resigned your position at the school at the end of 2005 before what I am sure would have been a dismissal. You were probably confident that you had got away with your acts of abuse, having left the county and moved away.
‘At the time of your acts you held a position of trust in relation to these girls and your conduct was a gross abuse of your position. They were groomed by you by substantial amounts of personal attention, gifts and flattery at a time when they both faced serious personal challenges in their lives.
‘That is the common pattern shown by your behaviour towards these girls and also towards Child C. Given your role as the safeguarding lead for the school, it is hard to think of a more serious breach of trust.
‘The sexual activity I have described began with Child A when she was 15 but continued from the age of 16 when you had actual penetrative sex. The sex acts took place in your car, in hotels and in your home when your wife was away.
‘The ‘relationship’, if that is an appropriate description, between you and Child A continued for some four years. Your actions after Child A turned 16 were not, under the law at that time, unlawful and play no part in my sentencing. Child A was significantly harmed by your conduct on a long-term basis.
‘Although your relationship continued on a basis which was not unlawful, I am satisfied that you robbed her of some part of her childhood by exploiting her teenage naivety when she was 15.
‘Child B was 15 years of age at the time your abuse began. She had never had sex with anyone at this time. When she was 15 you had full penetrative and oral sex with her before her birthday and these acts continued into her 16th year while a student in Year 11.
‘She was an immature girl with serious problems with bullying at school and it was in this context she came to you for help. Rather than providing true help, you used her for sex in your car, in hotels, as well as in your family home when your wife was away.
‘Child B was significantly harmed by your conduct. Her oral evidence demonstrated that she has gone through distressing episodes of shame and self-blame when she was in fact a victim of serious abuse at your hands.
‘She bears no responsibility for your exploitation of her. Your conduct has also played a part in her attempts to take her own life.’
Following sentencing, Investigative officer detective constable Isabelle Woodall said: ‘I am delighted by today’s outcome and sentence which I sincerely hope will bring a sense of justice to the victims.
‘These were appalling offences committed against some of the vulnerable schoolgirls that Mr Burke, as assistant head teacher and safeguarding lead, was tasked to protect, and constitutes a gross breach of trust.’
An NSPCC spokesperson added: ‘These crimes can have a devastating and long-term impact on the victims, and the women in this case have shown immense bravery in coming forward and reporting what happened.
‘We hope that they are now getting all the support that they need, and they can find some comfort following Burke’s sentencing today. It is so important that anyone who has experienced sexual abuse knows who they can speak to and is confident they will be listened to.’
Children and young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111, and adults with concerns about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000 or by emailing [email protected].
Source: Read Full Article
