Alexander Westwood

Alexander Westwood, a 24-year-old actor from Albrighton in Shropshire, has been convicted of 26 serious sex offences against women and children, marking the end of a four-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. The predatory and manipulative individual, known for roles in BBC's Doctors and an uncredited appearance in Netflix's Sex Education, exploited his position as a drama teacher to perpetrate sexual abuse on vulnerable teenage pupils.

Westwood's criminal behaviour, described by prosecutor Andrew Wallace as stemming from a history of predation beginning when he was just ten years old, involved forcing pupils to recite Shakespeare naked and engaging them in nude role-play scenarios. He raped a teenager during acting classes, sexually assaulted one girl over a seven-year period, and filmed a budding teen actress naked using his iPad. One victim recounted how Westwood would hold her down by the wrists during assaults, forcing her to bite him to escape his grasp. He also harassed victims, even calling the police on one while pursuing her relentlessly.

• Westwood forced schoolgirls and teenagers to perform inappropriate acts under the guise of acting lessons.
• He signed exploitative contracts with pupils, including clauses demanding payment for missed lessons, such as claiming one victim's mother owed him £18,000.
• Despite complaints from parents and the college where he taught, Westwood denied all allegations in his first police interview, blaming his victims and forcing them to testify in court.

Throughout the trial, images from Westwood's public Instagram account surfaced, casting his past works in a sinister light. Photos of him posing with celebrities like Asa Butterfield from Sex Education, dressing as characters such as the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, and playing Peter Pan in a 2018 musical at Birmingham's Blue Orange Theatre now evoke a stomach-churning contrast to his crimes. Prosecutor Wallace highlighted the absurdity and depravity of Westwood's methods, stating: "When giving acting lessons, he again used this as an opportunity to touch his pupils inappropriately. These are schoolgirls we are talking about, teenagers. Imagine asking Dame Judi Dench to recite Hamlet naked - she would tell you where to go."

Westwood showed no remorse during the proceedings, lying to the bitter end and leaving several young women in tears after cross-examination by his defence lawyer, James Bloomer KC. His victims watched in horror as he continued his television career and boasted about celebrity connections on social media. The court heard how parents and the college reported him to the police after discovering his behaviour. Wallace described Westwood as "a supreme manipulator" with a common theme of inappropriate touching and predatory actions across all charges.

Following his conviction on 10 December 2024, Westwood faces a lengthy custodial sentence, scheduled for 25 February 2025. The case was heard at Wolverhampton Crown Court, with reporting by Adam Smith and Kirsty-Louise Card for the Shropshire Star.