Former teacher accused of sexual abuse

A FORMER teacher at a Suffolk school has appeared in court accused of sexually abusing a former pupil eight years after being convicted of indecently assaulting three other students.

Alan Stancliffe, 68, who was employed as a woodwork and technical drawing teacher at Kesgrave Hall School near Ipswich from 1978-1980 was found guilty at Ipswich Crown Court in 1999 of seven offences of indecently assaulting three former pupils.

During that trial a jury heard that Stancliffe had visited the boys' dormitories at night and sexually assaulted them while they were in their beds. Two of the boys had also been sexually assaulted by Stancliffe when he took them to stay at his mother's house in Pontefract.

In 2006 Stancliffe was rearrested by police after another former pupil made a complaint of sexual assault against him and he was subsequently charged with three offences of indecent assault dating back to 1978-1980. Stancliffe of Pontefract denies the charges.

Charles Myatt, prosecuting told the jury that in addition to being convicted in 1999 of seven offences of indecent assault Stancliffe had been convicted in 1982 of three offences of indecent assault on a 15-year-old boy.

Mr Myatt said the jury in the present case was entitled to take into account Stancliffe's previous convictions when deciding whether he had a propensity to commit this type of offence.

Mr Myatt said that in 1979 the alleged victim of the offences before the court had noticed Stancliffe was paying him particular attention allegedly started visiting the boy's dormitory cubicle and helping him with his homework.

When the boy was 14 or 15 Stancliffe had allegedly put his arms round him in his dormitory cubicle and performed a sex act on him and in 1980 allegedly forced the boy to perform a sex act on him.

Stancliffe had also allegedly locked the boy in a woodwork shed and tried to force himself on him but the boy had managed to escape.

The trial continues today.