A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

This section was setup in August 2018 in order to move the existing related discussions from other sections into this new section to group them together, and separate from the other CH-related topics.

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richardb
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A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by richardb »

My work diary fell very conveniently and I was able to keep today free. Had it been possible, I would have liked to have attended during the trial, but that wasn’t possible.

I didn’t advertise the fact that I was attending as it could tempt unpleasantness, although a number of forum members knew of my plans.

I now live at the opposite end of the country and so I was out of the house just after 4 a.m and returned home at about 10.45 p.m.

I picked JR en route and we arrived at Court spot on 10 a.m. The court building at Hove is poky and it was eerily quiet. There was a cameraman outside from ITV and a reporter. Other reporters congregated and shared the jury box with a number of jurors who had returned for the sentence.

The clerk said that they were expecting a big crowd but “big” turned out to be 7 of us !!

Unfortunately, we got the cheap seats and were unable to see the man in the dock. There were three supporters in attendance for Husband. One was his daughter Sarah. The other two were both women. One was older and we guessed is the second Mrs. J.A Husband, while the other was of an age that she might be a child of the second marriage.

The judge came in at 10.42 and the prosecutor immediately stood up to address her. The judge spent five weeks presiding over the trial and so we did not get a recitation of the evidence, as the judge had heard it all before. So we started with the prosecutor saying that she was not applying for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order as there had been no further offending since the matter he was convicted of and the danger arose when he was teaching, which he would not be again.

The prosecutor then read the victim’s Victim Personal Statement into the court record. Every victim of crime should be asked whether they want to say anything about the effect of the crime upon them. In this case, it largely followed the statement that was posted on here earlier in the week and I do not propose to add to it.

What then followed was a discussion about how the Sentencing Guidelines applied to the facts of the offences during which we were treated to snippets of the evidence:
- Husband groomed the victim over a period of 3 years
- The victim was given strong alcohol by Husband including brandy and calvados
- The school was aware that the victim was vulnerable
- Husband was caught having an affair with another pupil and “encouraged to resign”
- The victim went to the police in 2016 as she was not able to get the school to do anything
- The victim was hospitalised for 13 months in 2016-17
- The victim was subjected to two and a half days cross examination by the briefs for Husband and Dobbie at trial

We discovered that there were five counts of indecent assault and one of rape. Count 1 was indecent assault and related to Husband grinding against the victim in a DIY shop (1). Count 3 was “kissing with tongues”. Count 5 was a specimen count of Husband touching the victim’s upper thigh. The rape took place shortly after the victim’s 16th birthday. At the A level history library, Husband lent against the victim.

Husband discussed the victim with Dobbie and they joked about it in her presence.

Husband managed to get himself appointed the victim’s tutor.

Husband took the victim on trips to Albi and Dorset.

Husband’s own brief said he was an appalling husband to his first wife, but not his second. Character references were produced from work colleagues.

The judge said that Husband cynically waited until the victim was 16 to have sex with her to reduce his own liability.

In sentencing the judge made a number of comments:
- He groomed her for 3 years
- The victim was particularly vulnerable
- He targeted her
- There was a particularly acute breach of trust
- He was devious and determined
- There was a disparity in age
- He showed a complete disregard for the victim
- He selected her as his victim because of her vulnerability

The judge found that Husband caused the victim serious psychological harm.

The offences were aggravated by taking place at the victim’s school where she should have been safe.

The judge said that the rape on its own would have been 13 years 6 months, while the indecent assaults would have been 5 years 6 months which made 19 years in total. The judge then reduced that to 17 years imprisonment for “totality” – where a defendant is sentenced for a number of offences some reduction is made to the overall sentence.

A number of staff were mentioned. The names mean nothing to me – Goulding (who gave evidence for Dobbie) and Walsh. Walsh said he missed the signs. It was said that the victim couldn’t turn to the Flemings and she had given an explanation why not, but we were not told what the explanation was.

As a postscript, the judge decided that the indecent assaults fell into the highest category – category 1A. Curiously, she then decided that the rape fell into category 2A, even though the criteria are the same, It makes a difference of about 5 years imprisonment. I think the judge is wrong in that and I intend to email the Attorney General and ask him to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.

I hope this makes some sense.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by bakunin »

Thank you very much for attending. Goulding and Liz Oliver don't sound familiar to me though I was there at the time. Except maybe if Oliver was in art/textiles?
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by yamaha »

Thank you Richard for going to so much trouble to attend and after a long day, staying up late to produce another lucid, informative explanation.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by Jim Rayner »

Jeremy Goulding was headmaster of Shrewsbury School (where Dobbie was employed after CH) until he retired in 2010. So far as I know Goulding never worked at CH.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by richardb »

One further point.

At the end there was an exchange between judge and prosecutor about Dobbie. Dobbie is not going to be sentenced until it has been decided whether he is going to face more charges.

One of the two complainants is in active contact with the police but other apparently not so.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by richardb »

Jim Rayner wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:42 am Jeremy Goulding was headmaster of Shrewsbury School (where Dobbie was employed after CH) until he retired in 2010. So far as I know Goulding never worked at CH.
I haven't made a note of what he gave evidence about so I think it probably is this man.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by Katharine »

Thank you Richard, leaving home at 4am for this is really dedicated. Thank you
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by Chrissie Boy »

I don't know whether this observation has been made already, but in case it hasn't:

For the victim to have had to go through life being repeatedly confronted with the word husband ("Do you have a husband?", "Have you met my husband?", "Has anyone seen my husband?" etc.) must have been complete and utter agony. And probably it always will be, closure or no closure. Better surely to have a civil partnership than to have a life-partner who goes by the handle of husband.

How truly appalling to have to put up with such a relentless reminder for the rest of one's life. My thoughts are with her and will be in the longer term too.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by DazedandConfused »

bakunin wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:28 am Thank you very much for attending. Goulding and Liz Oliver don't sound familiar to me though I was there at the time. Except maybe if Oliver was in art/textiles?
The textiles teacher was RBP but Oliver may have been art school, or perhaps a part time music teacher? I’m fairly sure she wasn’t a main subject teacher or member of House staff, unless my memory is worsening in my impending middle age.

I know of one member of CH staff who gave evidence for Dobbie and isn’t mentioned above.

Thank you Richard for travelling such a long way and giving such a thorough report.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by LHA »

I suspect Walsh is Stephen Walsh, an English teacher and author, who was at the school (and then presumably a close colleague of Simon Reid) in the 1990s, left and has now returned to the school. Presuambly his evidence relates to his first stint.
Just a note - all the teachers (re post above) who gave evidence can be named, and in my view it is reasonable for users of the forum, who know who they are, to name them if they wish.
For example, it is up to Neil Fleming if he wishes to make some sort of public statement. At the moment the evidence is that he was told of concerns and we don't know what happened after that. He should explain himself.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by DazedandConfused »

I’m in two minds about naming them, firstly as I’m not sure there is anything to be gained and secondly because they were a kind and decent teacher who I believe was taken in by Dobbie. Let’s not forget that abusers often carry on for so many years because they are devious and charming. As far as I know this teacher had no idea what was happening at the time and, I imagine, has felt hurt and betrayed by what they now know. If I thought for a moment that they knew what was happening or were in a position to act but didn’t then I wouldn’t hesitate to name them.

Stephen Walsh was a great teacher, he taught me on my second form and left a few years after, perhaps 1993 or 1994 before returning in recent years.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by LHA »

I don't disagree. Although public comment from

Richard Poulton
Elizabeth Cairncross -current Head of Wells Cathedral School Somerset
Bob Sillett MBE
Neil Fleming just retired
Marlene Fleming - Deputy Head with responsibility for Safeguarding
Rev Kate Powell

And probably many more

Seems to be in order, but probably won't happen.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by DazedandConfused »

Absolutely agree. They are the ones who have something to answer to. I was interested to see the Flemings mentioned again at Husband’s sentencing.

Since reading Husband’s daughter’s defence of him on the OB Facebook group I’ve been wondering how I would behave in her position, if it were my father convicted. Or if it were a colleague and friend of mine whom I had known and trusted for decades suddenly charged with these offences. I can’t imagine how I would feel or behave.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by jtaylor »

Thank you Richard for taking so much time and expense to go to the sentencing, and providing such a clear summary of what happened.
Good to see Husband sentenced. Let's see what further charges come for Dobbie - I can't imagine he suddenly stopped abusing when he left CH, given he continued in a school/teaching environment.
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Re: A day by the seaside (aka Husband's folly)

Post by Golfer »

Some press reports from yesterday. The story reached number 5 on the BBC site behind Trump x2, Novichok and the Three Lions.

Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ping-pupil
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-44817719
West Sussex County Times
https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/cr ... -1-8567246

There was also a short report in the Times repeating much of the BBC article.

I expect the financial fallout is going to hit the Foundation hard in terms of fewer full fee payers and fewer bequests from Old Blues. This is not the most important impact of this case, but it is still important to those who value the school's mission and want to see it get back on track - after doing the right thing for the victims.
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