Perverted teacher spanked pupil on his bare bottom.

Retired Teacher Jailed for Assaulting Schoolboy

A retired teacher has been jailed for indecently assaulting a Hull schoolboy more than 25 years ago.

Kevin Shaw, 55, spanked the victim with a sand shoe on his bare buttocks in a locked store room at Bransholme High School, which became Winifred Holtby secondary in the 1990s. The perverted geography teacher claimed he was disciplining the teenager for bad behaviour.

However, sentencing Shaw to 15 months in prison at Hull Crown Court on Friday, Judge John Thackray QC stated that the abuse "had nothing to do with discipline."

"It was entirely sexually motivated," the judge declared. "That was the clear conclusion of the jury who have heard the evidence, and that is the basis upon which you are to be sentenced."

Judge Thackray addressed Shaw directly, emphasizing, "I say that, firstly so there is no mistake in the community as to what this case has involved, and secondly because of your comments to the author of a pre-sentence report that it was about discipline."

"The truth is you used the cloak of discipline to hide your sexual interest in the victim, to enable you to see his genitals, and to smack his bare bottom."

Shaw, of Perth Street West, west Hull, denied any wrongdoing but was convicted by a jury last month following a trial at the same court.

In a statement read by prosecutor Nigel Clive, the victim described the emotional and psychological effects of the abuse as "challenging."

He expressed gratitude to the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the NSPCC for their support, saying, "They instilled in me a belief I could speak up and speak out."

The man revealed that he had suffered years of flashbacks and his education had been negatively impacted as a result. Reporting the abuse was a difficult decision, he said, as he felt "ashamed and embarrassed for letting it happen."

"That damage was not something I could repair. I was in an environment that was poisonous for me," he stated.

Shaw had offered the boy three options after he was caught "misbehaving" - a formal report, informing his parents, or striking him ten times on his clothed buttocks. The boy chose the third option, fearing his parents' reaction.

He was taken into a store room and made to bend over. After two strikes, he began to cry and was hit so forcefully that he fell over. He then agreed to remove his clothing, believing he would only be hit five times if he did so.

After another two strikes, the boy fell to the ground in pain, begging Shaw to stop, which he eventually did.

Judge Thackray noted that Shaw had "deliberately" hit the boy hard the first time to encourage him to remove his pants.

The jury also heard from two other former pupils of Shaw's. One alleged that he was similarly beaten on a school trip, while another claimed to have been propositioned by the teacher.

The judge explained that no charges followed those allegations because one was outside the court's jurisdiction and the other allegedly occurred before a change in the law would allow such a prosecution.

The married Shaw showed no emotion as he was handcuffed and led to the cells but silently mouthed "love you" to a woman in the public gallery.

Humberside Police Detective Constable Shaun Chambers said, "Kevin Shaw abused his position of authority and trust when he committed this indecent assault. I have a huge amount of admiration for the bravery of the victim in this case."

"He and the other two witnesses have had to relive their childhood experiences which must have been very difficult for them. The victim now wants to confine to history these memories and move on with his life knowing the offender has been brought to book for the offence."

Detective Constable Chambers acknowledged the challenges of investigating historical offences, stating, "This type of investigation is always challenging as the time that has passed since the offence makes it more complex to gather evidence, but it also makes it very rewarding when we get a good result like this."

He encouraged anyone who has experienced similar historical offenses to come forward, assuring them, "People can have complete confidence that their report will be taken seriously and acted upon."

"Kevin Shaw will now have time to consider his actions and this should also serve as a reminder to all those who have committed similar offences in the past that time is now a barrier to justice."