Locations
Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12
Description
A retired teacher has been jailed for sexually assaulting boys at the prestigious Salisbury Cathedral School and another boarding school. Piers Le Cheminant was convicted of 10 indecent assaults against nine boys over a 21-year period.
The 77-year-old targeted boys at Oakwood boarding school in Chichester, West Sussex, until one of the pupils made a complaint against him, Winchester Crown Court was told. He was then able to take up a position at the Wiltshire school, where his offending continued.
Le Cheminant, of Newton Abbot, Devon, would call boys to the front of the class and grope their buttocks while their classmates watched, the court was told. He would also watch the boys shower after they had played sport and took some of his victims somewhere private, where he would grope them and smack their buttocks.
Judge Timothy Mousley KC said the defendant had shown a “lack of remorse” for his crimes, which happened between 1965 and 1986.
He said: “One of the children was only eight years old when you started to abuse him. Each of these boys was particularly vulnerable and you took advantage of that.
“The harm was severe in some cases and you breached the trust which others expected of you. You have left them with appalling memories of their time at school.”
As well as being jailed for nine years, Le Cheminant was given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register.
Salisbury Cathedral School dates back more than 900 years and is located beneath the spire of the famous cathedral. Founded in 1091 by St Osmund, bishop of Salisbury and nephew of William the Conqueror, it is one of the world’s oldest educational establishments.