Former teacher jailed for eight years after being found guilty of sexual abuse of a child

Former headteacher, Alan Webster now 82 years old has now been jailed after he was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency with a child. 

Survivor Richard Crown found the courage to report what happened to him in 2021. The abuse started when Crown was only 12 years old. The allegations detailed how Webster abuse the survivor in a storeroom located at Glaisdale Comprehensive School.  Webster also molested the survivor in his car after grooming him and persuading him to deliver Christian Aid leaflets. In addition to this Webster also helped Crown in finding him part-time jobs and took him to watch football matches in order to carry on the abuse. 

Webster initially denied the allegations against him however was convicted by a jury earlier in February. The trial took place on the 25th of February at Nottingham Crown Court where Webster was sentenced to eight years in jail. He will serve half the sentence in prison before being released on licence for the remainder of the sentence. 

Richard, who has now unfortunately died, did not get to see his abuser receive this sentence however his family were present at the trial to see this. They have spoken to out to any other survivors of abuse urging them to come forward. 

They have said, ‘We hope that by speaking out, we can offer a voice to other victims who may still be suffering in silence from abuse. Richard is gone, but the legacy of what he endured and the life he lived after that abuse is a testament to his strength.

“While this conviction is one step in the journey toward justice, the grief, the scars, the years of pain cannot be undone. We promised him we would never ever give up on the fight for justice, he so bravely started.

“For nearly 40 years, he lived with a pain that was both unimaginable and indescribable. While he may have been a child when the abuse began, the trauma he endured affected him for the rest of his life. We tragically lost Richard in the December of 2022 from ways that can never be fully understood by those who have not experienced such a deep, painful wound.

“We mourn not only the child who was robbed of his innocence but the adult who struggled with scars that were never visible to most.”

Detective Constable, Steve Dunn, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Public Protection Unit, also provides his support and says “if people come forward to us with historical allegations of this nature we will listen to them, we will investigate their complaints and we will do our utmost to get justice for them.

“Webster may now be behind bars but if there are others who have been affected by him, we urge them to come forward.”