Kevin Shaw 60

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A retired teacher has been jailed for indecently assaulting a Hull schoolboy more than 25 years ago.

Kevin Shaw, 55, spanked the victim with a sand shoe on his bare buttocks in a locked store room at Bransholme High School which became Winifred Holtby secondary in the 1990s.

The perverted geography teacher claimed he was disciplining the teenager for bad behaviour.

But jailing Shaw for 15 months at Hull Crown Court on Friday, Judge John Thackray QC said the abuse "had nothing to do with discipline".

He told Shaw: "It was entirely sexually motivated. That was the clear conclusion of the jury who have heard the evidence, and that is the basis upon which you are to be sentenced.

"I say that, firstly so there is no mistake in the community as to what this case has involved, and secondly because of your comments to the author of a pre-sentence report that it was about discipline.

"The truth is you used the cloak of discipline to hide your sexual interest in the victim, to enable you to see his genitals, and to smack his bare bottom."

Shaw, of Perth Street West, west Hull, denied any wrongdoing but was convicted by a jury last month following a trial at the same court.

In a statement read by prosecutor Nigel Clive, the victim said coping with the emotional and psychological effect of the abuse had been "challenging".

But he thanked police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and spoke of his "gratitude" to the person who took his initial call at the NSPCC.

"They instilled in me a belief I could speak up and speak out," he said.

The man said he had suffered years of flashbacks and his education suffered as a result.

Reporting the abuse was difficult, he said, as he felt "ashamed and embarrassed for letting it happen".

He said: "That damage was not something I could repair. I was in an environment that was poisonous for me."

Shaw had given the boy three options after he was caught "misbehaving" - placing him on report, informing his parents, or striking him ten times on his clothed buttocks.

The boy chose the third option because he was scared of his parents finding out. He was taken into an adjoining store room and was made to "bend over at the waist". But after two strikes he began and cry and was hit so forcefully he fell over.

He then agreed to remove his clothing as he was told he would only be hit five times if he did so.

After another two strikes, the boy fell to the ground in pain, begged Shaw to stop and he did.

Judge Thackray said he had "deliberately" hit the boy hard the first time so he would remove his pants to receive fewer blows.

Other ex-pupils complained

The jury heard from two other former pupils of Shaw's, one of whom was allegedly similarly beaten on a school trip, and another who claimed to have been propositioned by the teacher.

The judge said no charges followed those allegations because one was outside the court's jurisdiction, and because another allegedly occurred before a change in the law would allow such a prosecution.

The married Shaw showed no emotion as he was handcuffed and led to the cells, but silently mouthed "love you" to a woman in the public gallery.

Humberside Police statement

Humberside Police Detective Constable Shaun Chambers said: Kevin Shaw abused his position of authority and trust when he committed this indecent assault.

I have a huge amount of admiration for the bravery of the victim in this case. He and the other two witnesses have had to relive their childhood experiences which must have been very difficult for them.

The victim now wants to confine to history these memories and move on with his life knowing the offender has been brought to book for the offence.

This type of investigation is always challenging as the time that has passed since the offence makes it more complex to gather evidence, but it also makes it very rewarding when we get a good result like this.

I want to extend an opportunity to anyone who has experienced this type of historical offence that they can have the confidence in us to come and report their cases to us and we will consider their report sensitively and support them throughout any investigation.

People can have complete confidence that their report will be taken seriously and acted upon.

Kevin Shaw will now have time to consider his actions and this should also serve as a reminder to all those who have committed similar offences in the past that time is now barrier to justice.