Friday 28 October 2011

Another case at St Benedict's

I've just turned up an article from the Times (behind paywall) from 28 July this year, which I completely missed at the time.

Former teacher faces pupil abuse charges

A former teacher at a leading private Catholic school appeared in court yesterday (Wednesday) charged with abusing an 11-year-old pupil almost 30 years ago.


Stephen Skelton is alleged to have abused the boy while he was working at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, West London, in 1983.

Mr Skelton, a maths teacher, is also accused of going on to abuse a 10-year-old pupil while working at West Hill Park, a day and boarding school in Titchfield, Hampshire, in 1993.

If Skelton is guilty of the West Hill Park charge, (and I stress that he has not yet been tried on either charge), then I would very much want to know the circumstances of his departure from St Benedict's: whether there was any complaint against him at the time, what action was taken, what reason was given publicly for his departure, and whether he was given a good reference by St Benedict's.

I have passed the details to Lord Carlile and requested that he look into it if time permits.

6 comments:

  1. As far as I recall he worked in the Middle School for just one term - Michelmas 1983 and then was replaced by Mr Gaziorek.

    Bryan Dunne

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  2. I think it is time for another of Mr Cleugh's "Media Statements".

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  3. When does Cleugh go?!!

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  4. The Times's "persistent blogger" report prompts me to ask does Cleugh rhyme with poo or is there pretentiousness to his name like Caius and Cholmondeley-Warner of St Augustines?

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  5. Cleugh rhymes will Puff but don't ask me why.

    Apropos absolutely nothing, there was an unpleasant housemaster at my public school by the name of Clough. So unpleasant that a boy put sugar in the petrol tank of his vintage racing Bentley.

    I do not understand why it is in education that one gets this pretentiousness with names. The current Children's Minister for example is Tim Loughton (as in Essex) but it’s pronounced Law.ton which I guess he thinks sounds Kensington.

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