ADAM GUTTERIDGE FROM CHRISTCHURCH AND WANDSWORTH JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF TEENAGE PUPILS

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Christchurch and Wandsworth, former teacher Adam Gutteridge has been sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to sexually abusing three of his teenage pupils. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of grooming and exploitation carried out by Gutteridge during his time working at a school in Dorset, before he relocated to London where he later appeared in a national television advertisement.

Gutteridge, aged 38 at the time of sentencing, appeared before Bournemouth Crown Court following a guilty plea to ten counts of sexual misconduct involving minors. The court heard that he had been employed at a school in Dorset from September 2002 until August 2007. During this period, he engaged in manipulative behavior aimed at two of his pupils, using an internal messaging system under the guise of offering academic assistance. However, these communications quickly devolved into sexual conversations, with Gutteridge’s relationship with one girl escalating from innocent exchanges to acts of sexual intercourse and oral sex.

Prosecutor Simon Jones detailed how the victim confided to police that she hated the sexual encounters and felt sick about the situation, yet she viewed Gutteridge as her boyfriend. The court was also told that Gutteridge persuaded another girl to send him revealing photographs of herself in her underwear and invited her to his home to watch films, fostering a sense of romantic attachment that was exploited for his own gratification. During a school trip to Plymouth, in Devon, Gutteridge committed further abuse against a third girl in her hotel room.

Victim impact statements read aloud in court painted a bleak picture of the emotional toll inflicted by Gutteridge’s actions. The girls expressed feelings of loss and despair, with one stating that her teenage years had been stolen and that her world now seemed a darker place.

Judge Peter Johnson sentenced Gutteridge to four years’ imprisonment and ordered him to register as a sex offender. He also found Gutteridge guilty of six counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of sexual activity with a person in a position of trust. Gutteridge maintained his innocence on one additional count of sexual activity with a child, but the Crown Prosecution Service announced they would take no further action on that charge.

In a statement, Reed.co.uk, the recruitment agency Gutteridge had appeared in an advertisement for, clarified that the campaign had ended in March and that they no longer had any connection with him. The case has left a lasting impact on the victims and highlights the importance of vigilance and safeguarding in educational environments.