A HEADMASTER who sipped sherry as he watched naked boys in the shower at a boarding school has been jailed for 11 years.

Former teacher Frank Skipwith, 81, drank alcohol while he watched youngsters in the showers at Fernden Preparatory School.

He indecently assaulted boys as young as six who were left in his care at the school, close to the village of Fernhurst, Chichester.

On two occasions, Skipwith performed oral sex on his victims in their dormitory beds after lights out.

Skipwith appeared at Hove Crown Court for sentencing yesterday.

Judge Christine Henson QC told him each one of his victims had to live with the consequences of his abuse every day.

She said: "The victims' statements speak of the life-long impact your offending has had on them.

"Anxiety, loss of self esteem and mistrust of authority.

"It's clear you have continued to demonstrate no insight or remorse for the effect your offending has had on your victims then and now.

"You were in a position of trust being a figurehead. There was no avenue of complaint, it was you who was in charge.

Skipwith abused 11 boys at two different private boarding schools over a 12 year period.

From 1979, Skipwith was the head master at Fernden a small, fee-paying, independent preparatory school for boys in Haslemere, Surrey.

After the school closed in 1985 for financial reasons, Skipwith become head teacher at Crossfields School in Reading where he stayed until 2000.

Skipwith maintained his innocence during two trials, forcing his victims to give evidence in front of a jury.

At his first trial in 2020, Skipwith was found guilty by a jury on 22 counts of sexual abuse of boys as young as six-year-old.

The jury at his second trial in December last year found Skipwith guilty on another five counts of abuse against boys when he was headmaster at Crossfields School.

Skipwith, of Eynsham, Oxfordshire, has been in custody since March 2020.

He will be 85-years-old before he is eligible for release.

Speaking after the case, one former pupil paid tribute to the bravery of the men who came forward to report abuse by Skipwith.

He said: "I remember witnessing things at Fernden School which I now recognise as systematic grooming.

"I am so pleased that after all these years that Frank Skipwith has been brought to justice.

"It took a huge amount of courage for the many people involved in this case to speak up about their experiences both to the police and then in court.

"Way too many many people have experienced sexual violence in the formative years of their lives, only a very small proportion of these are reported, and even fewer lead to successful prosecutions.

"This verdict sends the message that people who use their position of power to abuse children, whoever they are, however long ago it happened, can be held to account."

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