Locations
Woodland Place, Great Barton, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31
Description
A pupil has described how he felt "totally disgusted" after being sexually assaulted by a former teacher at a Norfolk school.
Henry Golding, 32, was a teacher at Flegg High Academy in Martham, near Great Yarmouth.
Norwich Crown Court heard the teenage victim was in a class with Golding when, Richard Kelly, prosecuting, said, Golding began to touch the victim, "tickling the back of his left thigh".
Mr Kelly said that as the victim walked out of the classroom Golding "put his right hand onto his bottom and kept it there as they walked out".
As the teen left the classroom Golding said to him "don't avoid me".
Police were later informed about the incident.
Golding, of Woodland Place, Great Barton, Bury St Edmunds, later admitted sexual assault and appeared at court on Tuesday (November 16) for sentence.
He also admitted three counts of making indecent images of children relating to a total of 209 images, including four of Category A which are the most serious.
Before Golding was sentenced, the victim read out a statement in court describing how he felt shocked and embarrassed.
He said he has been betrayed by Golding whose actions have meant he lost a lot of trust in people as a result, adding: "I trusted him and now feel totally disgusted."
The mother of the victim, who also made a statement in court, said: "We as his parents feel very angry. We trusted his school teacher to keep him safe.
Jailing Golding for a total of 17 months, Judge Andrew Shaw said the offence represented "the most egregious breach of trust" against a vulnerable victim.
Hugh Vass, mitigating, said Golding, who was a man of previous good character, had made a fateful error in a "one-off" incident which had been wholly unwanted and wholly inappropriate.
He said Golding will never teach again or work with children and insisted to have a conviction like this was a badge of shame which hes got to carry for the rest of your life.
Golding was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and must also sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Speaking after the case, a spokesman for Flegg High Academy said: "We are absolutely appalled by the actions of this individual, which are completely out of line with the high standards and values we uphold as an academy, and the robust processes we have in place which ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all our students and staff.
As soon as we learned of the allegations, the individual was immediately suspended without prejudice, and following thorough investigation was dismissed."
They said they had been supporting those impacted and those who felt they needed support in the academy.
"We have also been supporting the police with their investigation throughout, which has led to todays sentencing.