Ex-teacher linked to elite school sex crimes

A 76-year-old retired teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a pupil almost 40 years ago at an elite Cape Town boys’ school. The unidentified suspect also faces extradition to the UK where he stands accused of similar crimes. He is expected back in the dock on 1 February after his recent arrest. The matter relates to alleged incidents between 1984 and 1987 at the Western Province Preparatory School in Claremont. Sources told News24 that the complainant was allegedly molested by the teacher, a school cricket coach, during this period. The school last year announced an audit of historic sex abuse committed during its 108-year history. The school launched the probe as a ‘proactive response’ following ongoing investigations into abuse of children at institutions across the country. The former pupil had contacted BBC journalist Alex Renton following its series In Dark Corners, which investigated sexual abuse at elite boarding schools in the UK.

The former teacher is also accused of assaulting 10 boys in the UK. The Daily Mail reported that 33 charges were connected to Ashdown House School in East Sussex, which former Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended. News24 reports that he returned to SA where he continued to teach and privately tutor children until he was apprehended in November 2019 for the UK crimes, the publication reported. In July 2021, Cape Town magistrate Ingrid Arntsen ruled that the man should not be extraditable and discharged him on the grounds that the state had failed to prove that the UK was a party to a treaty with SA in accordance with the Extradition Act. The state intends to appeal this ruling.