Gareth Rogers 77

Description

A man who was raped in a classroom by a history teacher as a schoolboy said the abuse he suffered "broke him". He said he attempted to kill himself by smoking 20 cigarettes a day and "craved for cancer".

Gareth Rogers 77, was a teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School in Newport during the 1970s, and in his 20s, when he performed oral sex on one of the boys in his classroom before raping him behind a cupboard door. He also touched another boy's penis and masturbated him, while tutoring the victim in his bedroom.

The first victim came forward and notified the police in 2018 after disclosing the abuse to his mother and his sister. The second victim came forward in 2019 after he was told Rogers had been arrested. The defendant denied five counts of indecent assault and one count of buggery, and claimed the allegations have been "made up" by the complainants. But he was found guilty of all six counts by a jury, following a trial a Newport Crown Court.

The defendant has a number of previous convictions involving the sexual abuse of children. In 1997, he was convicted of indecently assaulting two girls under 14 years old. In February 2014, Rogers was convicted of indecently assaulting two boys in the 1980s and in March 2014, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

During a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Rogers' first victim said: "At the time (of the abuse), I fully trusted people in a position of trust and responsibility. I knew nothing of paedophelia or of it even existing, it was the 1970s and we were not aware. I was a happy child who became an unhappy adult, the effect on me emotionally was devastating and I no longer trusted anyone. I thought this must be what adults do and I was terrified of adult males for years until I was old and strong enough to repel occurrences.

"I was untrusting of males and males in authority. My initial thought is not to trust people and keep a low profile... That level of distrust stayed with me all my life post attack and I had feelings of self disgust, low self esteem, low self confidence and ashamed of what happened...

"After being 20, I decided I could not cope with the shame, I resolved to kill myself by the time I was 50. I planned to do this naturally and craved for cancer. I smoked 20 Marlboro a day as a documentary said this would lead to an early death.... I am not the person I was meant to be and I don't like the person I have become. When I got to 50 and I wasn't dead, I couldn't cope with life anymore. I was on medication every day and went to see the doctor and opened up to him. I was stressed, anxious and depressed and have been on prescribed antidepressants....

"I struggled to see a future, all I can see is the past and the devastating effect it's had on my life. It's too late for therapy as the damage has already been done.... I would have loved to have been happily married and have kids but for reasons mentioned this hasn't happened. It's a major source of regret and I blame the attack for any inadequacies in this area, and made relationships feel sordid to me. He broke me."

Rogers' second victim also wrote a statement, read out to the court by prosecutor Ieuan Bennett. He said: "As this was a historic crime I have suffered differing amounts of emotional problems over the years. I packed the memory deep inside my mind but of course it would come back in varying degrees of time. It affected my personal life and trust of people and affected relationships with people close to me.

"I couldn't be totally honest with them, keeping what happened to me a secret. I believe it was a significant cause of me becoming alcoholic, drinking to deal with emotions and memory of abuse I suffered. My addiction slowly affected the way I lived and worked and as a result I was sent to rehab. I have been sober for seven years. Along with the guilty verdict, it allowed me to lay to rest many demons. It affected the way I trust and interact with people over the years and led to many breakdowns."

In mitigation, Ruth Smith said her client had served a number of sentences in relation to his previous convictions, but these were the most serious and the first committed in time. She said the defendant's risk has diminished because of the courses he had carried out while incarcerated, and due to his age he is no longer in positions where he is able to exploit his access to children.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "It's clear from your convictions you have a long standing sexual interest in children over the years. You have severely damaged the lives of a number of people. The two victims in this case, you left their lives severely damaged. Your actions and consequences for them have destroyed the lives they could have led had you not done what you did."

The judge said the defendant was at "significant risk" of committing further sexual offences against children. She said she was "satisfied" he still has an sexual interest in children, and is at risk of causing "severe physical and psychological harm".

Rogers, of Commercial Street, Newport, was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, and an extended licence period of three years. He must serve two thirds of the custodial term before he is considered eligible for release, and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.