BRIAN SAUNDERS SHOCKS BOURNEMOUTH AND POOLE WITH REPEATED SEXUAL OFFENCES AND BREACHES

In a series of disturbing incidents spanning several years, Brian Saunders, a former teacher from Poole, has come under intense scrutiny for his repeated violations of court orders related to his past sexual offences. Saunders, aged 52, who previously worked at Buckholme Towers School in Ashley Cross, was convicted in 2012 for possessing hundreds of indecent images of children. His criminal activities came to light when his wife discovered 221 illicit photos stored on his laptop, prompting a police investigation that revealed the extent of his misconduct.

Following his arrest, Saunders admitted that his habit of viewing such material had persisted for a decade. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, during which he was also disqualified from working with children for life and placed on the sex offenders’ register for a period of seven years. Despite these sanctions, Saunders’s criminal behavior did not cease, and he continued to breach the conditions set by the court.

In January 2015, Saunders appeared before Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court to face charges of breaching his sexual offences prevention order on nine separate occasions between 2013 and 2014. The breaches included failing to register his foreign travel on three occasions, staying for at least 12 hours at residences where minors under 18 resided on three occasions, and residing in the same household as a young person under 16 without social services’ approval on three counts. These violations highlighted his ongoing disregard for the restrictions imposed upon him following his initial conviction.

During the court proceedings, Saunders explained that after his release from prison, he initially attempted to return to his family home in Bournemouth to live with his wife and children. However, he soon realized that this arrangement was untenable. In early 2013, he retrained as a teacher and moved abroad to Turkey, where he worked teaching English as a foreign language. His subsequent residences included a private home in Montenegro and, more recently, Cyprus, where he now resides. Saunders visits the UK only a few times annually to see his family.

The defendant also claimed that, as an expatriate with a permanent address abroad, he was unaware of the legal requirement to register with local police stations upon each entry into the UK, even if only for a brief stay. The breach involving staying with family members who had young children was linked to visits to relatives in the UK during which he stayed in their households. District Judge Stephen Nicholls accepted Saunders’s explanation that these breaches were unintentional and imposed a fine of £1,200.

Adding to his criminal record, Saunders’s earlier conviction in Poole in June 2012 for downloading child abuse images had already resulted in a 20-week jail sentence. At that time, he was employed at Buckholme Towers School and was found to possess 221 indecent images, including various levels of severity, with some titles explicitly referencing sexual abuse of boys. His wife’s discovery of files named ‘Boys in briefs’ and ‘Boy porn’ led to police involvement. The images ranged from less serious to highly explicit, with some depicting Japanese boys and involving moving images.

During the sentencing, Saunders’s defense argued that his troubled upbringing contributed to his behavior, emphasizing his remorse and urging the court to consider alternative measures rather than imprisonment. Judge Roger Jarvis expressed profound disappointment given Saunders’s background working with children, stating that it was deeply surprising and troubling that someone with such experience would engage in such activities. The judge underscored the cynical disregard for the welfare of young people involved in these images and emphasized the damage inflicted upon victims.

As a consequence of his convictions, Saunders was disqualified from working with children for life and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for seven years after his release from prison. His case remains a stark reminder of the ongoing risks posed by individuals with a history of sexual offences, especially those who continue to breach court orders and legal restrictions.