ALEXANDER PALIN, RUNCORN TEACHING ASSISTANT, SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHESTER
A teaching assistant from Runcorn, Alexander Palin, who sexually abused a vulnerable pupil at his school, has been sentenced to prison.Palin appeared before Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, 15 December, where he received a 36-month prison term.
The 30-year-old from Runcorn was previously convicted of five counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17, as well as being guilty of abusing a position of trust.
He had worked as a teaching assistant at a local school in Runcorn for several years.
The allegations came to light in November 2019 when the victim, a 16-year-old student, confided in her mother about what had happened.
She revealed that she had met Palin outside of school on multiple occasions and that they had engaged in sexual activities several times.
The offences took place inside Palin’s car, parked in a secluded area of Wigg Island, between the winter of 2018 and summer of 2019.
Following the allegations, Palin was arrested in November 2019.
Despite denying any involvement, he was charged with five counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17 and one count of abusing a position of trust.
Detective Constable Ed Flaherty, who led the investigation, said: “I’d like to praise the victim in this case for the bravery and courage she has shown, both throughout this investigation and the subsequent trial.
Palin held a position of trust, and while the victim was not in any of his classes, he was well aware that she was a pupil and he knew that she was vulnerable.
In spite of this, he purposefully chose to take advantage of her for his own sexual gratification.
Despite all of the evidence gathered against him, Palin continued to deny the allegations and showed no remorse for the harm caused, which will impact the victim for the rest of her life.
Fortunately, the jury saw through his lies, and he is now facing the consequences of his actions.
Flaherty added, “I hope the sentence handed to Palin provides reassurance for the victim and enables her to move forward with her life.” In addition to his prison sentence, Palin was ordered to register as a sex offender (until further notice), placed on the barred list, and issued a banning order preventing him from working with children.
