NICHOLAS MACKEY AND RONALD WIENER SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN HINCKLEY AND WATFORD

In a disturbing case that has finally come to light after years of silence, two former house masters from a Hertfordshire boarding school have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the sexual abuse of a young boy. The crimes, which took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, have left a lasting scar on the victim, whose courage in coming forward has led to justice being served.

It was in 1989 that Nicholas Mackey, then a young teacher in his 20s, began grooming a 13-year-old student at the school near Watford. Mackey, who resided on Butt Road in Hinckley, Leicestershire, took the boy on school trips and eventually arranged a trip to Brighton. During this trip, after checking into a hotel, Mackey carried out sexual acts on the boy, which resulted in the child bleeding and experiencing significant pain. This incident marked a grave breach of trust and a traumatic event in the boy’s life.

Following Mackey’s actions, his colleague at the school, Ronald Wiener, who is now 67 and has no fixed address, learned of the incident. Instead of showing remorse, Wiener targeted the same boy for his own sexual gratification. He engaged in sexual acts with the boy on two separate occasions in his room at the now-closed school near Watford. Evidence presented in court revealed that Wiener had a pattern of abusing young boys, with prior convictions for similar offences. In 1999, Wiener was convicted at Guildford Crown Court for four counts of indecent assault involving three boys at another boarding school. Additionally, in 2015, he received a 21-month prison sentence after being convicted at Canterbury Crown Court for indecent assault on a young boy dating back to the mid-1980s.

The case was reopened many years later when the victim, now an adult, reported the abuse to Hertfordshire police. The victim’s account detailed the abuse that occurred in 1989 and early 1990 at the school near Watford. This led to the tracing and arrest of both Mackey and Wiener, even though the school had long since closed down. The trial revealed that Mackey, who was then in his 20s, had begun grooming the boy shortly after starting his teaching career. The grooming process included taking the boy on trips and eventually leading to the hotel incident in Brighton.

During the sentencing hearing at St Albans Crown Court, Judge Andrew Bright QC addressed the severity of the offences. Mackey, now 55 and residing in Hinckley, was found guilty of attempted buggery and sentenced to five years in prison. The judge described Mackey’s abuse as “an appalling breach of trust,” emphasizing that the victim had little contact with his family and that the assault occurred in a hotel room far from home, late at night. Wiener, who was convicted of two counts of buggery and one of indecent assault, received an eight-year prison sentence. The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on both men, restricting their contact with any boy under 16 unless accompanied by an adult who is aware of their convictions. The judge noted that the Disclosure and Barring Service would likely prevent them from working with children again, ensuring additional safeguards against future harm.