Natasha Smith

A Sussex woman has bravely shared the profound and lasting impact of sexual abuse inflicted upon her by Natasha Smith, a school technician at Angmering High School in West Sussex. The abuse occurred shortly after the victim turned 17 and completed her GCSEs, exploiting her vulnerability during a time when she was 'closeted, insecure, and deeply vulnerable'. Smith, who was 35 at the time of sentencing, held a position of authority as a technician at the school and had previously served as a police officer, which amplified the breach of trust.

The offence came to light following a police report in 2021, after which Smith was suspended from her subsequent role as a teacher at Durrington High School. At Hove Crown Court on 9 June, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a girl while an adult in a position of trust. She denied three further related offences, which the court ordered to lie on file. The victim, now in her twenties and granted lifetime anonymity, delivered a powerful victim impact statement during the proceedings, detailing how the abuse shattered her sense of self-worth and derailed her life for years.

• 'It’s hard to explain what it does to you when someone who had all the power, age, authority, experience, chooses not to protect or guide you, but to exploit your vulnerability for their own gain,' the victim stated in court.
• She described struggling with anxiety, depression, shame, and even attempting suicide, saying, 'What I naively thought was love was something I didn’t even have the tools to understand.'
• The abuse, which spanned four years, left her confused about healthy relationships and convinced she was unworthy of genuine love, forcing her to spend much of her twenties 'untangling that damage'.

Despite the trauma, the victim emphasised her resilience, noting that meeting her wife marked a turning point: 'I knew the moment I met her, that love feels completely different. She’s shown me what care looks like when it isn’t laced with control or fear.' She concluded defiantly, 'You didn’t silence me. You didn’t win. You will carry the truth of what you did to me, for the rest of your life.' This case, reported by The Argus and drawing on court records from Hove Crown Court, underscores the severe consequences of abusing positions of trust in educational settings.

Sussex Police investigated the matter after the 2021 report, leading to Smith's prosecution. The sentencing reflects the court's recognition of the offence's gravity, though it opted for a community-based penalty rather than immediate custody.