Former woodwork teacher finally admits sexually assaulting boys at south Warwickshire school

A disgraced former woodwork teacher has finally admitted abusing his position by sexually assaulting boys in his room at a south Warwickshire school in the 1970s and 80s.
Ronald MidgleyRonald Midgley
Ronald Midgley

Two more of Roland Midgley’s victims had come forward after reading of a trial two years ago which ended with Midgley being convicted of three charges of indecent assault.

But a judge at Warwick Crown Court heard that he was not charged with those matters until the day he was released from a three-and-a-half-year prison term earlier this year.

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Midgley (74) of Warwick Road, Southam, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to two charges of indecent assault.

And two further charges, relating to two other former pupils, to which he pleaded not guilty, were allowed to lie on the court file.

Prosecutor Graeme Simpson, who had also prosecuted Midgley at his trial in April 2017, said the complainants had come forward towards the end of the trial as a result of press reports and then Facebook postings.

Mr Simpson added that Midgley already had to register as a sex offender for life following the more serious sexual assaults on two other boys of which he was convicted in 2017.

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Antonie Muller, defending, said: “What no-one can come to terms with is why, when the prosecution knew of these further complaints at the time of the trial, it took nearly two years for somebody to decide to charge him as he had just left the custodial sentence.”

And Mr Muller posed the question: “Would that judge [Recorder Nicholas Syfret QC] have sentenced him to more than the three-and-a-half years for two more complainants, given the level of criminality involved and the now plea?.

“He has served his time, and has now come to terms with admitting what he did. I would ask Your Honour to say that this man will not serve more time.”