March 2015 Ex-Chelmsley Wood teacher jailed for indecently assaulting boys A victim who was abused at the home of a paedophile teacher from a Solihull school has spoken of his relief at seeing his attacker jailed for a series of indecent assaults against teenage boys. Former Chelmsley Wood Kingshurst School languages master John Patton, aged 74, from Chaddesley Court, Mount Nod, Coventry, admitted three counts of indecent assault against 15-year-old boys in the 1980s when he appeared at Warwick Crown Court. He was jailed for three years 11 months. The offences came to light when one of his victims went to the police last year. The court had been told that in the early 1980s Patton invited a 15-year-old boy to accompany him on a trip to London. It was agreed the boy would stay at Patton’s home the night before but as he lay in bed in his underpants Patton walked in naked and got in next to him. Patton then committed an indecent act upon him. Other former pupils came forward later and made allegations of abuse. One of the victims, who did not wish to be identified, said his painful memories of the sickening assaults when he was an impressionable teenager forced him to attempt to take his own life. The victim, now aged 49, said: “The abuse I suffered as a teenager ruined my life. I’m relieved that he pleaded guilty and now faces time in prison for what he did to me and some of his other pupils. “I completely trusted Patton as my teacher, but I now know that the attention he showed in my education was a form of grooming. The abuse I suffered made me feel dirty and had a massive impact on my everyday life. “I struggled to focus on my education after the abuse and I was eventually asked to leave college, which meant my dream of becoming a teacher ended. I’ve struggled to maintain meaningful relationships and have tried to take my own life as a result of the painful memories I have.” He is now working with lawyers Irwin Mitchell to secure a settlement to fund access to the help and support he requires to cope with his ordeal. Tom Fletcher, a specialist abuse lawyer, said: “Those who suffer sexual abuse as a child can be hugely affected and their experiences can have the impact on the way people develop as adults and how they live their lives, as we have seen in this case. “We hope to secure a settlement to ensure he is able to access the therapy and support he needs to come to terms with what happened and make progress with his life.” January 2015 Retired teacher warned he faces jail after pleading guilty to child sex offences A retired teacher from Coventry has been told he is likely to be jailed after he admitted sexual offences against three boys in the 1980s. John Patton had originally been arrested over indecent assaults on two of his victims – but press reports then led to a further charge after an earlier victim came forward. And at the crown court in Leamington, Patton, 75, of Mount Nod, Coventry, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting 15-year-old boys in 1984. The court heard he committed the offences by touching the boys’ over their clothing. His plea of not guilty to a further charge alleging he performed a sex act on one of the boys was accepted. Patton also pleaded guilty to a single charge on a second indictment of indecently assaulting another 15-year-old in 1981 or 1982 by touching him under his clothing. Prosecutor Philip Bradley said: “The 1984 matter was arrest number one. The press reports from the first indictment incited the interest of the complainant in the second indictment, and so it was that it came to light.” The court heard that the offences in 1984 had taken place at Patton’s home, while the earlier incident had taken place in London. The case was adjourned for pre-sentence and medical reports to be prepared on Patton, who is said to suffer from a heart condition. He was granted bail with conditions of living at his home address, complying with a nightly curfew and not contacting any of his victims. But Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “You have pleaded guilty to serious matters which involved a serious breach of trust when you were a teacher. “You must understand that because of the offences you have pleaded guilty to, the likely outcome of this case will be a custodial sentence; but all options will be open to the court to consider when it has seen all the reports.”