Personal Injury

Hillside First School 'failed on every level' to prevent paedophile teacher Nigel Leat abusing pupils

We were very interested and horrified to read in BBC News that a serious case review has found that a teacher was able to film himself abusing young girls because of a "lamentable failure" by school management.

Mr Nigel Leat was jailed indefinitely for abusing children at Hillside First School in Weston-super-Mare between September 2006 and December 2010.  Mr Leat admitted to 36 sexual offences at Bristol Crown Court in May last year.  At his trial, it was discovered that Mr Leat had abused five victims, some as young as six.  The Judge described him as a “paedophile of the most sickening order”.

The charges included one count of attempted rape, 22 counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and eight of sexual assault by penetration.  Police also found over 30,000 indecent photographs on memory sticks.

A serious case review was commissioned by North Somerset Safeguarding Children Board, who found that the incidents noted in the school management report ranged from indecent touching to inappropriate lesson content.  It was said by the review that “On a number of occasions colleagues advised the teacher of the inappropriateness of his behaviour and pointed to the risk that he could be accused of professional misconduct.  However, only 11 of the 30 recorded incidents were reported formally within the school”.  “Early on it was noticed that the teacher had favourite pupils within his class who were invariably girls, who were often given tasks within the class which were viewed as privileges….”. 

20 pupils had been witnesses or victims of abuse by Leat.  Mr Leat had taken photographs of pupils on his mobile phone and in them he was seen kissing and cuddling them.  Another teacher saw Mr Leat in his underpants and a t-shirt while getting changed in his classroom. 

Peter Watt, NSPCC Director of Child Protection Advice and Awareness stated that “This is a shocking case where young children were left at the mercy of a determined sex offender in their own school even though many people had concerns about Nigel Leat’s behaviour.  There were clear signs this man was a danger yet astonishingly the proper action was not taken, leaving children at risk when they should have been safe in that environment”.

Mr Leat was given an indeterminate sentence and told he must serve at least eight and a half years before he can be considered for parole.  The headteacher of the school, Chris Hood had also left his post, having been suspended since January 2011.

As specialist child abuse solicitors, we welcome any measures taken to prevent further child abuse from being able to take place and to help compensate victims of past abuse.  We also specialise in claims involving sexual abuse in schools.

If you have been the victim of any form of sexual abuse, or believe that somebody in your care might have been abused, click here or call now on 0800 0384 384 to discuss your claim with an expert abuse solicitor on a strictly confidential and no commitment basis.