West Sussex Man Sentenced To 13 Years

A former teacher has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of a series of sex offences during time working at private schools in both Worcestershire and Oxfordshire in the 1980s.

Jonathan O’Brien, 56, from West Sussex was found guilty at Chichester Crown Court of 17 counts of indecent assault and five of gross indecency.

The offences related to six boys at Winterfold House School near Kidderminster and three others at The Oratory School in Woodcote.

According to the BBC, he was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and was given a sexual offences prevention order banning him from sleeping in a house or having unsupervised contact with a child under 16.

Expert Opinion

This is yet another terrible case in which a person has abused their position of trust, leaving victims with physical and psychological damage from which they may never fully recover. <br/> <br/>"It is absolutely vital that the victims in the case remain the priority and are given continued access to support services which will allow them to at least take steps towards attempting to coming to terms with what they have faced. <br/> <br/>"It is also hugely important that lessons are learned from cases of this nature which will ensure youngsters are safeguarded from such issues in the future." Luke Daniels - Partner