CHRIS PEARSON SENTENCED IN CHATHAM FOR HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE CASE
A former teacher has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually abusing a young boy nearly three decades ago.Chris Pearson, who was a teenager at the time of the offences, denied the accusations but was convicted this week.
The court heard that Pearson, a resident of Chatham, was convicted of abusing a nine-year-old boy in the 1990s.
The trial at Croydon Crown Court revealed that Pearson was previously the head of music at Cobham Free School in Surrey.
However, he lost his position there after being arrested on suspicion of email grooming of girls, although no further action was taken following questioning.
Subsequently, he worked as a train guard for South Western Railway.
Pearson, a married father of two who graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with a music degree in 2002, also taught music at Longfield Academy near Gravesend and served as curriculum leader for performing arts at Bacons College in Rotherhithe.
He faced charges relating to alleged offences between June 1995 and July 1997.
Pearson contested these allegations, which the court detailed included three counts of rape and one count of indecency with a child.
The jury found him not guilty of one additional count of indecency.
Judge Deborah Charles addressed Pearson directly, stating, "You raped him repeatedly.
In evidence in court, he said he believed he had been raped on about a dozen occasions.
At the time, you didn't realize what you were doing was wrong.
You groomed him by playing games, making him guess music tracks, which was a method to manipulate him." The judge described disturbing acts, including a wrestling game where Pearson would restrain and physically torment the boy, causing him to scream and beg for mercy.
The court noted Pearson showed no remorse, and there was no evidence of any conflict with the victim.
The victim, who gave a statement in court, explained that coming forward was a way to free himself from the trauma that had haunted him for 25 years; he recounted suffering flashbacks and triggers related to childhood memories inflicted by Pearson.
Prosecutor Richard Job explained that Pearson was around 15 or 16 years old during the period of abuse.
The victim was not a relative but was someone who initially interacted with Pearson for fun wrestling matches inspired by WWF.
Pearson would invite the boy to his room and attempt to demonstrate wrestling move techniques, while also demanding the boy beg for mercy and exploiting his youth and naivety.
The victim described feeling smaller and weaker, forced into submission during these sessions and suffering physically and mentally.
He expressed feelings of shame and disgust once he realized he had been abused.
The police became aware of the allegations in 2017 when the victim first disclosed what had happened.
The police then interviewed Pearson, who denied all charges.
Pearson, who claimed to have a good character and no previous trouble, stated he had never been in trouble before.
The judge questioned the lack of references from Pearson's colleagues given his professional background.
During the investigation, Surrey Police examined an unrelated allegation involving email grooming of schoolgirls.
Lucy Organ, defending Pearson, said the emails sent to females aged 15 to 16 were not sexual but were inappropriate in quantity, timing (often late at night), and tone, including some favouritism such as helping a pupil become head girl.
Pearson admitted he went too far in assisting two students but was not involved in any further inappropriate conduct.
Pearson was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life, barred from working with children and vulnerable groups, and told he must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
He is no longer a teacher, having lost his job in 2017.
