KEVIN SHAW JAILED IN HULL FOR HISTORICAL INDECENT ASSAULT ON SCHOOLBOY
A retired teacher has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of indecently assaulting a Hull schoolboy over 25 years ago.Kevin Shaw, 55, was found guilty of spanking the victim with a sand shoe on his bare buttocks in a locked store room at Bransholme High School, which later became Winifred Holtby Secondary in the 1990s.
Shaw, a geography teacher at the time, claimed his actions were meant as discipline for the young student.
However, Judge John Thackray QC at Hull Crown Court emphasized otherwise, stating that the abuse "had nothing to do with discipline." He told Shaw, "It was entirely sexually motivated.
That was the clear conclusion of the jury who have heard the evidence, and that is the basis upon which you are to be sentenced." The judge also addressed Shaw's comments in his pre-sentence report, noting, "He claimed it was about discipline, but the truth is you used the cloak of discipline to hide your sexual interest in the victim, to enable you to see his genitals, and to smack his bare bottom." Shaw, from Perth Street West in West Hull, denied any misconduct but was convicted by a jury last month following a trial at Hull Crown Court.
In a statement read aloud by Prosecutor Nigel Clive, the victim described the emotional and psychological toll of the abuse as "challenging." He expressed gratitude towards the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and particularly to the person at the NSPCC who took his initial call.
"They instilled in me a belief I could speak up and speak out," he said.
The survivor shared that he has endured years of flashbacks and that his education was negatively impacted.
Reporting the abuse was difficult, he explained, because of feelings of shame and embarrassment, and he felt "ashamed and embarrassed for letting it happen," adding, "That damage was not something I could repair.
I was in an environment that was poisonous for me." During the incident, after the boy was caught "misbehaving," Shaw had given him three options: to be placed on report, to inform his parents, or to be struck ten times on his clothed buttocks.
The boy chose the latter because he was afraid of his parents discovering what happened.
Shaw took him into an adjoining storeroom, where he was made to "bend over at the waist." After two strikes, the boy began crying, and Shaw struck him so forcefully that he fell over.
Shaw then told the boy he would hit only five times if he removed his clothing, which he did.
After another two strikes, the boy, in pain, begged Shaw to stop, which he did.
The judge remarked that Shaw intentionally delivered the first blow hard enough to make the boy remove his pants to lessen subsequent hits.
The court also heard from two other former pupils of Shaw; one claimed to have been similarly beaten on a school trip, and another alleged that Shaw propositioned him.
The judge explained that charges could not be pursued regarding these allegations because one fell outside the court’s jurisdiction, and another predated changes in the law allowing prosecution.
Shaw showed no visible emotion as he was led away in handcuffs, though he mouthed "love you" to a woman in the gallery.
Humberside Police Detective Constable Shaun Chambers issued a statement condemning Shaw’s abuse of authority and trust.
He praised the bravery of the victims who relived their traumatic experiences to see justice done.
"The victim now wishes to move past these memories with the knowledge that the offender has been held accountable," Chambers said.
He highlighted the difficulties of investigating such historical cases, noting that the passage of time complicates evidence gathering but also makes successful convictions especially rewarding.
Detective Chambers encouraged others who might have experienced similar abuse to come forward, assuring them that reports will be handled sensitively and thoroughly.
"People can have complete confidence that their report will be taken seriously and acted upon," he assured.
Shaw’s imprisonment serves as a reminder that time is not a barrier to justice for past offenses.
