Former teacher jailed for sex assaults on pupil

A former teacher has been jailed for two years and five months after pleading guilty to two counts of indecent assault on a child and two counts of indecency with a child.

Charles Phillip Johnson, 72, of Hall Place Drive, Weybridge, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday).

Police launched an investigation after the victim came forward in August 2018 to report physical and sexual abuse against him by Johnson which took place between 1976 and 1979, when he was a pupil at Barrow Hills School in Witley.

Johnson was a teacher at the school at the time. He was charged with the offences in 2019.

Johnson had previously been jailed for a year in July 2017 after pleading guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 14. He was also given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Those attacks also took place at Barrow Hills School, between 1979 and 1980, while the victim was a pupil and boarder.

The school was owned at the time by a religious order called the Josephites. It was sold in 1990 and has since then been run by trustees as an independent charity.

Detective Constable Becky Thomson, who investigated the case, said: "I hope that Johnson's guilty plea and the sentence he has received today will in some way help the victim to come to terms with what's happened and move on with his life.

"He had the courage to report Johnson's predatory behaviour and I'd like to commend his bravery in coming forward.

"I would also encourage any victim to come forward to Surrey Police and report any similar incidents. Surrey Police treats all allegations of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, extremely seriously.

"Our priority is victim care and people need to feel confident that if they come forward and report an offence, we can help. We have a dedicated investigation team for such crime and the dedicated unit works to obtain best evidence.

"We also work closely with our partner agencies to provide support and care to victims."