ROBERT KALTON SENTENCED IN STAFFORDSHIRE FOR DECADES OF CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A former teacher and church choirmaster from Staffordshire has been handed a substantial prison sentence after being found guilty of multiple historical child sex offences.Robert Kalton, aged 88 and residing on Ashby Road in Burton upon Trent, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on February 15th following a series of disturbing allegations that spanned over several decades.
Kalton had previously pleaded guilty during a hearing on November 24th to four counts of gross indecency involving a boy under the age of 14, as well as two counts of gross indecency with a man over the age of 16.
These charges stemmed from offences committed during his time as a teacher at St Augustine's Roman Catholic School in Trowbridge, where he also served as a church choir conductor.
The court was told that the abuse occurred over a period of years, with the victim coming forward in December 2019 to report the crimes.
The court proceedings revealed that Kalton was sentenced to four years in prison for one count of indecent assault on a boy under 14.
Additionally, he received sentences of 20 weeks, two years, and two years for three other counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14.
For the two counts involving indecency with a man aged 16 or over, he was sentenced to one year each.
All these sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve the maximum of four years in total.
Furthermore, Kalton has been placed on the sex offenders register for life, reflecting the severity and nature of his crimes.
It was also disclosed during the hearing that at the time of the investigation, Kalton was already serving a four-year prison sentence for similar offences.
His criminal record includes convictions for a total of 32 sexual offences committed against at least six young boys.
His offending spanned approximately twenty years, during which he operated across various locations throughout the United Kingdom, including Staffordshire and other regions.
The victim, who was a student at the school where Kalton taught, provided a heartfelt statement to the court.
He described how Kalton, as a teacher and a man of faith, exploited his position of trust to commit repeated acts of abuse.
The victim recounted that these offences occurred over a five-year period when he was aged between 11 and 16, with some incidents dating back to the 1970s.
In his statement, he expressed the profound impact the abuse had on his life, stating: "Robert Kalton was a teacher.
He was also a religious man.
As such he had power and respect.
He occupied a position of trust, and he abused that trust in the worst way possible.
School is a place where you spend a large proportion of your childhood.
It is a place where you should feel safe.
Instead, I was made to dread and fear going to school." Detective Sergeant Rachel Winter of Wiltshire Police commented on the case, emphasizing the manipulative tactics used by Kalton.
She described him as a sexual predator who exploited his roles within the educational and religious communities to systematically abuse vulnerable boys.
Sergeant Winter highlighted the lasting damage inflicted on the victims, stating that their childhoods had been stolen and their lives forever altered.
She praised the victims for their courage in coming forward and emphasized the police’s commitment to thoroughly investigating non-recent offences, regardless of how much time had passed.
The case serves as a stark reminder that justice can be pursued long after the crimes occurred, and that victims’ voices are vital in bringing offenders to account.
