A RETIRED teacher who sexually assaulted children at Weyford Junior School in the 1970s has been jailed for 20 years.

Timothy Bleach, 76, of Hazel Walk, Broadway Park, Petersfield, abused girls aged between eight and 11 while working at the Bordon school between 1973 and 1980.

Last week, he was convicted of 56 counts including rapes, indecent assaults and acts of gross indecency, following a five-week trial by jury at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Judge Roger Hetherington told the court that Mr Bleach took advantage of the trusting nature of his 11 victims, sometimes using the cover of piano lessons to target girls who, as a result, suffered “real psychological damage”.

During the trial, the court heard that Mr Bleach raped one girl on no fewer than 10 occasions and another at least three times.

Mr Bleach will be 86 by the time he is eligible for parole, after servicing at least half of his 20-year sentence.

The charges were brought about following an investigation into non-recent cases of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse by Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team.

Officers received the first complaint against Mr Bleach in 2014 from a woman who had watched a BBC report on the force’s work on historical sex crimes.

Following the conviction, Martyn Booth, Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service Wessex, said: “Timothy Bleach is a dangerous man who used his position of trust and authority over those girls to isolate, groom and ultimately sexually abuse them. He abused that position of trust in the most abhorrent way to seek his own sexual gratification.

“Every one of those young girls together with their parent could and should have expected that Timothy Bleach would educate them, care for them, and put their welfare above all other considerations.

“His offending included a broad range of sexual offences up to and including the rape of two of these young girls.

“The extent of his offending did not however end there. Having left the UK to take up a position teaching in a trust school in Africa, he continued his offending by sexually assaulting a young female pupil.

“For over 40 years Timothy Bleach managed to evade justice, and his crimes went undetected and unpunished. Today, that position has finally been redressed with the jury returning guilty verdicts in relation to 56 of the 62 charges brought against him.

“Today, justice has caught up with Timothy Bleach after all those years.”

And Mr Booth added: “The Crown Prosecution Service wishes to thank our police colleagues in Hampshire Police for a detailed investigation into these allegations. The level of professionalism and dedication shown by the officers is second to none.

“But, moreover, we wish to thank each and every one of the complainants in this case.

“The impact of being subjected to such sexual abuse at such a young age at the hands of Timothy Bleach cannot be understated. For over 40 years each of those ladies has had to live with what he did to them when they were children. It had, of course, affected each one of them tremendously.

“However, thanks to their bravery, commitment and strength in putting themselves through the ordeal of giving evidence about these traumatic events, the truth has finally been revealed.

“The Crown Prosecution Service sincerely hopes that these verdicts can be the first step in their own individual journeys towards achieving their own personal closure concerning these offences.”

Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion includes the re-examination of available evidence and the offer of additional support alongside partner agencies to those affected by sexual abuse.

Detective Inspector Jim Park, leading the investigation, said: “The victims in this case have had to endure a long and difficult process through the investigation and subsequent court case, but I am pleased that justice has now been served.

“Mr Bleach – a teacher, and as such a man entrusted to safeguard children – abused his position of trust over and over again by committing these awful acts.

“This was made worse by his not guilty pleas which meant the victims had to relive their experiences in the courtroom.

“Each showed remarkable bravery and courage and I hope this result gives any victim who has suffered abuse of this nature to come forward and talk to us.”

Previous victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse or anyone with information can contact Operation Marmion detectives on 101.

Or information can be given anonymously by calling the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111.