Judge to sentence 'paedophile' teacher for child abduction

“Paedophile” teacher Jeremy Forrest, who “groomed” a 15-year-old girl before taking her to France when he was about to be exposed, is due to be sentenced today for child abduction.

A jury took less than two hours to convict Forrest yesterday following an eight-day trial at Lewes Crown Court.

The 30-year-old defendant, who remained stony-faced, turned to the girl and said: “I love you,” as the verdict was about to be announced.

The girl sobbed and said: “I am sorry,” as he was led back to the cells.

The trial heard how the pupil had just turned 15 when Forrest started having sex with her, having groomed the vulnerable teenager after she developed a crush on him at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Fearing they were about to be discovered, Forrest, of Chislehurst Road, Petts Wood, Kent, booked them on a cross-Channel ferry from Dover to Calais on September 20 last year before spending seven days on the run in France.

The trial heard that Forrest would pick the girl up in her school uniform and would have sex with her in his car, in hotels and at his marital home. She told a friend that they had sex up to eight times a night.

The defendant also sent the girl “indecent images” of himself showing his naked torso with his hands down his underpants. She responded with pictures of her naked breasts.

The police and the school’s failure to prevent Forrest running off with the girl has come under heavy criticism over their handling of the case.

Police were not alerted until seven months after first concerns were raised and then when they were notified they held a meeting, rather than question or arrest Forrest immediately.

Teachers were first made aware of concerns about their relationship after a school trip to Los Angeles in February 2012.

They were seen by several pupils to be holding hands during the return flight.

Forrest failed to heed words of advice from senior staff members and went on to continue his relationship with the girl.

And despite a further warning to Forrest after inappropriate messages on Twitter were brought to the school’s attention, he was still able to continue seeing the girl, who he began having sex with.

Police were finally alerted on September 14 about an inappropriate relationship between them, and four days later a joint strategy meeting was held involving them, the school and education services.

The girl’s home was then visited by a police officer and a social worker on September 19 who seized her mobile phone looking for indecent images of Forrest.

The following day the defendant took flight to France, taking the girl with him.

Richard Barton, prosecuting, said Forrest’s actions were an abuse of trust and that he could be labelled a “paedophile” who had groomed the vulnerable teenager.

He said to the jury: “That is not an inappropriate label for him. It is about his desires to have that young sexual flesh, to satisfy his own carnal lusts.”

Mr Barton continued: “You may feel it had nothing to do with her, it was to do with him, with his desires. You may feel he is a man who is flattered by the attention of very young vulnerable girls.”

He continued: “What is it that Jeremy Forrest finds attractive about young-looking vulnerable women?

“There is a word for it, it’s called grooming – being caring, being kind, being close, gaining confidence, gaining the trust of that person and then you can do what you want to do with them.”

He said that it was not a case of Romeo and Juliet as they were not “equal” partners in what happened, and it was Forrest that organised the situation.

He said: “A teenager isn’t going to get out of Eastbourne, let alone out of the country.”

He added: “You may well feel he is self-centred mainly concerned with his self, his needs and desires and not others. You may also feel he is a coward.”

Ronald Jaffa, defending, said the girl was “desperate and suicidal” and Forrest had gone with her to France to prevent her coming to harm.

Judge Michael Lawson QC adjourned the case for sentencing at 11.45am today and Forrest was taken back to his cell at Lewes Prison.