BRIGHTON TEACHER ANDREW BERRY JAILED FOR GROOMING TEENAGE STUDENT
A teacher named Andrew Berry, aged 47, who was a head of the English department at Cardinal Newman Catholic school in Hove, East Sussex, engaged in an illegal sexual relationship with a teenage pupil.The court heard that although the relationship was consensual, it was unlawful because Berry was a teacher and held a position of trust at the school.
The pupil, who was 17 at the time, had developed a teenage crush on Berry, and their relationship began when she made a pass at him and they kissed during the summer holidays.
Berry, who has two teenage children, was aware of her feelings and invited her to his flat after asking her to tutor his daughter in maths.
The relationship then turned sexual after she kissed him during school holidays, and they met at his flat twice a week for sex.
This went on for about a year until their relationship was uncovered when she called it off, and a school friend told her father.
Berry's reaction was to storm to the girl’s house and demand to speak with her, leading to police involvement.
He was later charged with two counts of having sexual activity with someone while in a position of trust.
The court established that he had sex with the girl at least 15 times between July 2014 and June 2015, during which she was 17.
Berry initially taught the girl when she was just 12 years old.
During sentencing, he was handed a sentence of eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
The judge described the case as a tragedy and warned Berry that as a teacher and person in a position of trust, his actions were a serious breach of trust.
