ANDREW MARSH FROM ASHFORD SENTENCED FOR ABUSE OF SCHOOLGIRLS IN KENT

In April 2004, a disturbing case emerged involving Andrew Marsh, a man with a criminal history who committed heinous acts against young girls while working in an educational setting. Marsh, aged 44 and residing on Bybrook Road in Ashford, was convicted of indecently assaulting two eight-year-old girls during his time serving community service at a local school in Ashford, Kent.

Marsh was sentenced to two years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on a Friday. His criminal record included previous convictions, and he had been cleared of similar allegations involving three other girls prior to these incidents. Despite this, he was employed at the school, where he worked unsupervised as a classroom assistant. His employment came after he was given a 200-hour community service order in October 2002 for a fraud conviction.

The court proceedings revealed that the school was aware of Marsh’s prior conviction but still employed him to conduct reading classes in a corridor within the school premises. The situation took a darker turn when, in April 2003, a girl at the school confided in her mother that Marsh had touched her over her clothes. Over the following weeks, five other girls came forward with similar allegations, raising serious concerns about the safety and oversight of staff working with children.

Marsh denied all charges, maintaining his innocence throughout the trial. However, the court found him guilty of indecently assaulting two of the young girls. Judge Warrick McKinnon addressed the court, stating that Marsh would serve half of his two-year sentence in custody. Additionally, he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for a period of ten years.

In his remarks, Judge McKinnon described the incidents as not being