ROBERT HANNA, FORMER SOUTHWARK SCHOOL TEACHER, JAILED IN LONDON FOR SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH PUPIL
A former science teacher from Southwark, London, Robert Hanna, aged 43 (born 11.01.78), has been sentenced to three years in prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with a pupil.Hanna appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, 23 November, where he was convicted of six counts of sexual activity with a child whilst in a position of trust.
Detective Constable Erica Slater from Central South Command commented, 'This was a complex case where Hanna denied everything from the beginning and lied continuously throughout the case.
However, the victim courageously remained steadfast in her evidence and following a thorough investigation his accounts were disproved.
Today’s sentence highlights the severity of this case and I would encourage anyone who is a victim of or victim to sexual abuse in any context to contact police.
We have specially trained officers to investigate as well as ensuring there is ongoing support provided to the victims.' Hanna was previously found guilty after a 12-day trial at the same court, held on Tuesday, 19 October.
During the trial, investigators traveled to the North East of England to gather further evidence from the victim and additional materials necessary to secure a unanimous guilty verdict.
Following his conviction, Hanna was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with individuals under 18.
Additionally, he will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
The court heard that Hanna worked as a teacher at a Southwark school from 2015 until he was dismissed in May 2019.
During this period, he developed a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old pupil whom he had helped improve her physics grades.
The incident escalated during a school prom when Hanna invited a group of pupils, bought alcohol, and met with some girls.
The sexual relationship with the victim lasted over four months.
She later told Hanna she wanted to end the relationship, but he convinced her to meet him one last time before breaking up with her.
On Monday, 1 April 2019, the victim gathered the courage to report what was happening to a teacher, prompting the school to suspend Hanna immediately.
Police were contacted, and an investigation led by specialist officers from the Central South Child Abuse Investigation Team was launched.
The following day, Hanna was interviewed and denied any sexual relations with the victim.
Further investigations uncovered hotel check-in and check-out logs, bank statements, and phone download evidence that corroborated the victim's account.
Hanna was formally charged in May 2020 with the offenses outlined above.
