Former teacher jailed again as further victim of historic abuse comes forward

Ronald Wotton was locked up and made to sign the sex offenders register for life in 2014 for a string of historic assaults which led to pupils in his class making themselves sick to avoid attending his classes.

The now 79-year-old was released in 2016, but in August of last year, more claims came to light by a single complainant who had read about Wotton's convictions in a magazine article.

Prosecutor Joanne Kidd told Newcastle Crown Court that after receiving counselling, the victim went to the police over 50 years after the offences took place.

Ms Kidd said: "The victim brought his complaint to the attention of the police in August 2019 following his discovery of Mr Wotton's earlier conviction in 2014.

"When he read that magazine it was clear it was exactly the same person who had sexually abused him as a child."He described the abuse of a sexual nature what took place on a daily basis when he was in his class."Ms Kidd told the court that the nature of the abuse involved Wotton touching the boy as well as asking him questions.She added that the victim was was terrified of Wotton who would also refuse to let him go to the toilet during classes.

In 2014, Wotton was sentenced to five years in jail for 17 counts of indecent assault, three counts of indecency with a male and one count of indecency of a child.

On Monday, December 14, Wotton, of Park Lane, Murton, appeared on a video weblink from a police station and admitted six counts of indecent assault on a male person before being sentenced to 16 months in jail.

A personal statement read out on behalf of the victim told the court that him and his family have never been able to settle down as a result of the abuse, and have had to move away from the area before he recently split up with his wife.

It added: "I feel Wotton has had the opportunity to live his life but I never really had the opportunity to live my life."

In mitigation, Jamie Adams said that the court may feel a further sentence may not be "of such length that it couldn't be suspended", given Wotton's current state of health, which "wasn't getting any better at all."

But Judge Penny Moreland told him: "The effect of your abuse has prevented him from being the person he might have been had he had the childhood he was entitled to - not the childhood that was marred by the abuse of you.

"Your culpability is high because of your gross abuse of trust.

"This offending is such that the appropriate punishment can only be achieved through an immediate sentence."