Compensation for a pupil abused by their teacher.
We have recovered a six figure award of compensation for a pupil abused by their teacher. To find out if you have a claim call our free confidential helpline on 0333 888 0445 or send us an email.
This case involved a young primary school pupil who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her teacher. Nigel Leat had been sexually abusing young girls in his class for over four years. He had taken photographs of some of the children while he abused them, and the police found in excess of 30,000 indecent images of children in his possession. He also filmed himself abusing a number of children.
After a criminal investigation, Leat was convicted of sexual offences and jailed indefinitely. A serious case review was commissioned following his arrest, which concluded that there had been a “lamentable failure” by school management.
It was clear that the abuse suffered by our client had a significant effect upon her. In order to ensure the best possible outcome for her compensation claim it was important not to settle the case to soon. This is because the full impact of abuse on children does not become apparent until after they have experienced further developmental moving through adolescence.
As well as assessing the impact of the abuse on her mental health with the help of a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, a report was also obtained from an Educational Psychologist due to concern that the abuse in the school environment had negatively impacted her education.
In order to ensure she was given the best possible opportunities, we arranged funding for two years of private counselling to address her mental health difficulties. Parallel parental sessions were also provided to ensure she received informed support at home. Due to the disruption to her education, we also arranged for her to receive private tuition in the run up to her GCSE exams in core subjects.
Following negotiations, the compensation claim settled out of court for £115,000. The settlement included provision for therapy in the future. This ensured that she would have the support she needed throughout her life as and when it was required.
We specialise in school abuse claims, representing claimants nationwide. For further guidance on claiming compensation for a pupil abused by their teacher contact our award winning lawyers for a free case assessment.