‘Provocative’ instructor responsible of abusing schoolboys after intercourse ’20 to 30 instances’
Chemistry teacher Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, has been found guilty of indecently assaulting two teenage boys when they were aged around 14 to 15
Sally Anne Bowen has been found guilty(Image: Shutterstock)
A teacher accused of having sexual relationships with two pupils has been found guilty of the indecent assault of the boys after trial.
Chemistry teacher Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, was alleged to have indecently assaulted both teenage boys when they were aged around 14 to 15, during her trial at Harrow Crown Court this past week.
And now a jury has found her found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault against the two teenage pupils in incidents dating back to the late 1980s.
She taught at the all-boys Christ’s College in Finchley, north London and was previously described by complainants and a former pupil as dressing in a way that was “sexually provocative” at school and behaving like she was “in a Sabrina Carpenter video”.
The abuse involved two teenage boys(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
One complainant alleged he had sex with the teacher “about 20 or 30 times” over several months, would visit her at her home, considered her to be his girlfriend and had fallen in love.
The defence labelled him as a “fantasist” but he denied the accusation, saying some of the sexual acts Bowen asked him to participate in were “perverse”.
He also told jurors he kept the relationship secret because he felt compelled to “protect” the teacher, who had “drummed it” into him that he was not allowed to tell anyone.
He told the court: “I never, ever spoke to anyone about it.
“I was always really aware, she drummed it into me. Years she got to teach, because I remained silent.”
The second complainant alleged he and Bowen kissed once in a café when he was “goaded” into it by other boys.
She had said the idea of her being abusive was them being fantasists(Image: James Manning/PA Wire)
Neither of the victims were named, but another pupil named as Tobias Oliver said she was not the average teacher.
He told the jury: “She dressed and behaved more like my teenage female friends than the other teachers.
“The topics of conversation in class often strayed away from chemistry and became quite sexual.”
In her evidence, Bowen denied ever interacting with pupils in a sexual or inappropriate manner, describing the first complainant’s allegations as “total fabrication”.
“There was no sexual activity, he’s made this story up,” Bowen told jurors, adding: “I think he certainly had a crush on me at school.”
In her first police interview in January 2015, Bowen described the first complainant as “a nuisance” and “besotted”, and said his accusations formed part of “a fantasy”, jurors were told.
Her trial heard she “engaged in flirtatious conduct” with the pupils and had sex with one of the boys “20 to 30 times” over five months.
She also kissed the second boy while allowing him to touch her breasts and place his hand near her crotch in a cafe as they ate lunch together, the trial heard.
A jury has today (Thursday, August 27) found her guilty of seven counts of abuse. She was earlier cleared on one further charge of indecent assault. She is yet to be sentenced.
