August 2014
Teacher jailed for 5 years after groping 8-year-old girl in head’s office
A teacher who groped a pupil aged eight while giving her extra reading lessons has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.
Kevin Marriott, 53, from Fairview in Daventry arranged the tuition in the headteacher’s office while his boss was away and told the victim not to tell anyone.
He carried out at least 10 attacks over a year, until the girl confided in her mother.
Prosecutor Christopher Gabbitas said: “He abused her by having her sit on his knee and touching her.”
Northampton crown court Judge Timothy Smith told Marriott, of Daventry: “You exploited this girl’s reading difficulties for your own sexual gratification.”
Marriott was cleared of a sex assault but convicted of three others. He must sign the sex offenders’ register and will be banned from working with children.
Judge Timothy Smith said: “Your actions had a severe impact on the victim’s family: her own father cannot play with her in the same way for fear of reminding her in any way of her ordeal.
“This will cause, for the victim, a scar that she could bear for the rest of her life.”
