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Retired vicar Roger Wakely jailed for sexual assaults on pupils over four decades

The detective constable in charge said she hoped the conviction could bring victims closure

Jess Staufenberg
Saturday 14 November 2015 17:15 GMT
Roger Wakely, 73, was found guilty of 27 non-recent counts of sexual assault against four victims
Roger Wakely, 73, was found guilty of 27 non-recent counts of sexual assault against four victims

A retired vicar has been jailed for sex offences committed over four decades while a teacher and pastor.

Roger Wakely, who is from Exeter in Devon, has been jailed for 13 years after being convicted of 27 historic counts of sexual assault, according to the Metropolitan Police.

He targeted his four victims in Sunbury-on-Thames, London and Leicester. Several of them were under his care as pupils at Ealing Grammar School and Bishop Wand Church of England School.

One of the victims approached police with reports that he had been sexually abused between 1978 and 1981, launching a police investigation in December 2013.

Now 73-year-old Wakely has been found guilty by Guildford Crown Court of 25 counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16, and two counts of attempted buggery on a boy under 16.

The crimes took place between the 1960s and early 1980s.

Detective Constable Sara McDowell of Surrey Police, who led the investigation, said the conviction was the end point of a "lengthy and complex investigation."

"Wakely's predatory behaviour came to light after one of his victims had the courage to come forward and speak out about the abuse he had suffered [...]

"I would like to commend the bravery of all four victims in giving evidence and can only hope that today's conviction will provide some sort of closure for them."

The victim who came forward said Wakely had asked him to come to his office to talk about his coursework before assaulting him.

Similar accounts were given by two identified further victims, both on school premises and at the vicar's home.

A fourth victim was sexually assaulted by Wakely when he was a vicar in the parish of Gaulby in Leicestershire.

DC McDowell said the case involved the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Police working together.

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