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Court upholds conviction of former primary school teacher for rape and abuse of sister-in-law
Summary
In 2014, a 65‑year‑old former primary school teacher was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury of one count of rape and 115 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault against his sister‑in‑law between 1981 and 1993. He was sentenced to ten years for rape and two concurrent five‑year terms for each assault count. The defendant, who had denied all charges, was acquitted on 29 counts and found not guilty on 27 further counts. In 2017, he appealed the conviction. Judge George Birmingham dismissed the appeal, ruling that the trial judge had not acted unfairly or unsafely, that the jury's verdicts were safe, and that the evidence presented, including that of six witnesses, was admissible and relevant. The Court of Appeal therefore upheld the original conviction and sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Court upholds conviction of former primary school teacher for rape and abuse of sister-in-law. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted
When:
- December 19, 2014 Incident
- 1981 and 1993 Incident
- 2017-02-07 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Acquitted
Outcome: Acquitted; A former primary school teacher jailed for more than 100 counts of abusing his sister-in-law over 12 years, and for raping her, has lost an appeal against conviction. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for rape and two concurrent five year terms in respect of each assault count by Mr Justice Paul Butler on December 19, 2014.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
Sexual Offences Stage Appeal Violent Crime
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