Gerard Singer

Gerard Singer, a 69-year-old former teacher described as a paedophile, faces sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court for a series of historical sexual abuse offences committed against boys at St George's School. The school, initially located in Wicklewood, Norfolk, later moved to Great Finborough, Suffolk. Singer was convicted in July 2016 of 27 counts of sexual offences, which took place between 1978 and 1981.

During the sentencing hearing, two victims bravely shared the devastating impact of Singer's actions through personal impact statements read to Judge Martyn Levett. One victim recounted how he had been 'preyed upon... my childhood destroyed,' leading to profound anger and the need to apologise to family and friends for his subsequent behaviour. He highlighted systemic failures in the 1980s, stating, 'In the 1980s, chances were missed to help us. We were failed. I want the system to learn from those mistakes.'

A second victim described attempting to bury the past after the abuse, but struggling with suicidal thoughts, turning to drink and drugs, and suffering a breakdown earlier in 2016. The court was informed of a pre-sentence report indicating that Singer remained in denial about his offences, with experts assessing his behaviour as unlikely to change and posing a high risk of harm to potential future victims.

The case, reported by BBC Look East and BBC News, underscores the long-term trauma inflicted on the victims and the importance of addressing historical child sex offences. Singer's conviction followed a trial at the same court, bringing some measure of justice decades after the events. The judge was set to return later to deliver the formal sentence.