Teacher jailed for sexual assault of Hethersett Academy pupil

A former soldier and teacher, Simon Taylor, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after a court heard he groomed and sexually assaulted a pupil at Hethersett Academy; he was placed on the sex offenders register and given a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A former soldier who later worked as a teacher has been sentenced after a court found he sexually assaulted a pupil at Hethersett Academy in Norfolk. Norwich Crown Court heard the offences involved grooming over more than two years and that the teacher abused his position of trust while employed at the school. He received a prison term and was subject to lifetime legal restrictions following the hearing. Key facts: - Simon Taylor, 43, a former sergeant who served in Afghanistan, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. - The court was told he groomed and sexually assaulted a pupil over an extended period while working at Hethersett Academy. - Communications between them included messages on a school messaging platform and the school had previously issued a written warning about inappropriate language. - The judge said the pupil had suffered lasting harm and described the loss of her childhood. - Taylor was placed on the sex offenders register, given a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banned from contacting the victim or her family, and barred from working with children. Summary: The court concluded the teacher manipulated a vulnerable pupil and imposed a custodial sentence alongside lifelong restrictions intended to prevent future contact. Undetermined at this time.