Ex-West Sussex Teacher Jailed for Child Sex Offences from the 1990s
A former West Sussex schoolteacher has been locked up for indecent assaults on a teenage boy during the 1990s. Jonathan O’Brien, 61, of Bosham, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Friday 24 May. He pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault dating back to 1992 while teaching at Seaford College near Petworth.
O’Brien Jailed Again for Historic Abuse
The court handed O’Brien 30 months in prison, to run at the same time as a hefty 13-year sentence he’s already serving for unrelated offences. Those earlier convictions stemmed from abuse against boys at schools in Worcestershire and Oxfordshire during the 1980s.
Victim’s Courage Brings Justice After 20 Years
Detectives revealed the victim came forward in 2017 after keeping the abuse secret for more than two decades. PC Yvonne Daddow praised his bravery, saying:
“This offending came to light when the victim contacted us for the first time in 2017. Having courageously come forward he supported our investigation and was ready to give evidence in court if necessary.”
O’Brien allegedly groomed the boy using a shared interest in computers. The assaults happened both at the school and O’Brien’s home in Oxfordshire.
School Fully Cooperated, Investigation Independent of Current Staff
Two other charges relating to the same boy were dropped, but remain on the court file. Police made clear the present school management and pupils had no connection to the incidents.
“The school has provided full co-operation during this investigation,” police said, “and the events concerned are completely unconnected with the current or recent management of the school or pupils.”
The Crown Prosecution Service backed the case following an investigation by West Sussex Safeguarding Officers. O’Brien is now locked up for a total of more than 13 years, ensuring he remains behind bars for his decades of abuse.
