Teacher Who Got Sexual Kicks from Chastising Pupils during 20-year Abuse Campaign Is Jailed
By Luke Traynor
A teacher who got sexual gratification from chastising dozens of his pupils in a campaign of abuse that stretched over two decades has been brought to justice. Alan Morris, 64, of Rivington Road, Hale, was found guilty of 19 offences of indecent assault and inciting a child to perform an act of gross indecency. The offences relate to the abuse of 10 boys in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. All the offences occurred during his time at St Ambrose RC College in Altrincham, an all-boys grammar school. A further 28 offences involving 18 boys was ordered to lie on file. At Minshull Street Crown Court today, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. Morris taught chemistry and occasionally Religious Education. He had an array of implements that he would use to administer corporal punishment and even became Head of Discipline at the school and went so far as to seek out pupils who were misbehaving during break times, ensuring that they were punished for their 'misdemeanours'. He would often 'punish' the boys in a small room away from his chemistry lab and the gaze of other pupils and teachers. It was apparent to the boys being punished that Morris got sexually aroused by what he was doing. On occasion he forced some boys to 'punish' one another. Some offences also occurred at Morris' home address under the guise of offering struggling pupils private tuition. Following his arrest he told police that he had regarded himself as the 'Chief Policeman' within the school, and it was his role to investigate and punish misbehaviour. A number of items were seized from his house during his arrest and examined. A number of pornographic movies featured spanking activity, and some also had teacher/pupil discipline scenarios. Experts were also able to establish there were internet searches made for online forums and websites for men interested in sadomasochistic activity, with terms such as 'school', 'spank', 'discipline4boys', 'cane', and 'schoolboy' searched for. As part of the publicity surrounding the arrest of Alan Morris numerous other former pupils contacted police to report incidents of sexual abuse and assault. The investigation looked into all allegations and detectives established that four former pupils were sexually assaulted by one former teacher and 10 former pupils by a different teacher. Detectives established that both teachers were dead and had they not been, would likely have been charged with serious sexual offences. A number of other pupils made reports to police about the inappropriate use of corporal punishment. Again, it was established that many of the teachers named were dead. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Bridge, said: "For decades Morris displayed a veneer of total respectability: a science teacher in a well-respected and high performing school and latterly as a deacon of the church. "Today he has been unmasked as a persistent and prolific sex offender. "A self-proclaimed 'chief policeman', I have no doubt that he revelled in his fearsome reputation, taking it upon himself to seek out and punish pupils, using corporal punishment to cloak his real motive for chastising young boys: sexual gratification. "His campaign of abuse lasted the best part of 20 years and has had a deep and lasting impact on his victims. "We were absolutely taken aback by the sheer scale of his offending, which happened over so many years and involved so many boys and I must credit those who came forward to report what happened to them. "Because of their actions he has finally been brought to justice, however I have no doubt there are others out there still that we do not know about. "We understand how difficult it is to open up about such offending and a person can only do so when they are truly ready. To them I say that if you can find the strength to talk to us, we will treat your case with empathy and sensitivity. "It is also important to highlight that this case is not just about Alan Morris. "We spoke to a significant amount of former pupils, many of whom were subjected to sexual abuse and others who received inappropriate corporal punishment. "What this case has done is shine a spotlight on and expose a culture of sexual and physical abuse that was clearly rife in some quarters within the school, particularly in the 60s and 70s. "While the school and its teachers are today unrecognisable in terms of safeguarding, it does show that there was - historically - widespread offending and I want to stress that if anyone was subjected to such an ordeal we will investigate and bring any living perpetrators to justice, as in this case." Anyone wishing to report abuse by Alan Morris or anyone else can speak to a dedicated team of officers on 0161 856 7573. Anyone not wishing to speak to an officer can also email them trafford.ppiu@gmp.pnn.police.uk
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