A former professor at the Royal College of Music has told a court he cannot understand why an 18-year-old student would falsely accuse him of sexually assaulting her during a consultation lesson. Jan Repko, 68, is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of sexually assaulting a prospective student during a one-to-one violin lesson in July 2022. Repko denies the allegation.

Student Describes Alleged Assault

The court heard the woman, who was 18 at the time, attended what was described as a consultation or “taster” lesson with Repko before applying to study at the Royal College of Music. In a police interview played to the jury, she said Repko asked, “May I?”, which she believed referred to him touching her hand as part of a teaching exercise. Instead, she alleges he placed one hand on her waist and the other on her buttocks before unbuttoning her trousers and sexually assaulting her while she continued playing the violin. The complainant told police she remained playing because she was in shock.

Repko Denies Allegations

Giving evidence in his own defence, Repko rejected the allegations and said any physical contact formed part of standard teaching techniques intended to help improve posture, relaxation and sound production. He told the court:

“I left my chair, I started facing her… I told her what I was going to do, what I wanted her to do.

“I told her I wanted her to lean backwards during this exercise, and I showed her where I was going to touch her.”

Repko denied undoing the student’s trousers or touching her intimately. He also told the jury he did not know why the complainant would make the allegations against him.

Former Professor Dismissed

The court heard that following the allegations in 2022, the Royal College of Music suspended Repko before later dismissing him from his position. The alleged consultation lesson was the only occasion on which the defendant and the complainant are said to have met.

Trial Continues

Repko denies the charge against him. The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court. As criminal proceedings are ongoing, reporting restrictions apply. Repko is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.