MAIDSTONE (UNITED KINGDOM)
Kent Online [Kent, England]
November 20, 2023
By Sean McPolin
A former pupil has received an apology and a substantial settlement from a private school after it accepted he was sexually abused by one of their priests.
KentOnline can reveal Sutton Valence School in Maidstone, which charges parents thousands of pounds per term, has settled a legal case with a man who alleged he was raped and assaulted when he was a young teenager.
Reverend David Barnes was a chaplain at the school in North Street when the allegations are said to have taken place during his time there in the 1980s.
He died in 2012, aged 75, after working as an assistant curate of Crayford, RAF chaplain and assistant curate of Minster on Sheppey.
The revelation comes just over a year after chemistry teacher Mohammed Afzal, 67, was jailed for three years for sexually assaulting a girl at the school in 1993.
Barnes’ alleged victim, who is now in his 50s, began legal action against the school earlier this year.
The married father, who wants to remain anonymous, says he was sexually assaulted at Barnes’ home in the school grounds while they watched Top of the Pops.
Sean McPolin – smcpolin@thekmgroup.co.uk