FORMER VICARS CROSS TEACHER ALAN BLAKEY SENTENCED IN CHESTER FOR HISTORIC SEXUAL ABUSE

In June 2014, Alan Blakey, a 72-year-old former teacher associated with Vicars Cross, was convicted of sexually abusing four girls during the 1970s at Oldfield Primary School in Chester.

Blakey, residing at Bank Street, Portmahoma, Tain, Scotland, was found guilty by a jury of six counts of indecent assault relating to incidents that took place during his tenure at the primary school several decades earlier. Chester Crown Court sentenced him to three years in prison.

The court heard that the assaults occurred over a period of one year at Oldfield Primary School, with prosecutor Matthew Corbett Jones revealing that Blakey had repeatedly touched two of the girls throughout a school year while serving as their class teacher. The other two victims were assaulted during isolated incidents outside of regular lessons.

Mr Corbett Jones described how many of these assaults took place in the classroom, often when other pupils were present, and some occurred in a store cupboard outside lesson times. He stated that Blakey was “willing to take risks” by carrying out sexual assaults while children were nearby, suggesting a disturbing willingness to take those risks to satisfy his desires.

The court also learned about Blakey’s prior conviction for indecent assault at Oldfield Primary School, which had resulted in his dismissal. In 1980, Blakey pleaded guilty to touching a girl’s leg and asking, “You like this, don’t you?” while she played chess in a store room with another pupil. During the trial, Blakey claimed he only tapped the girl on the leg when she made a good move and was pressured into admitting guilt for a technical offense with no sexual intent.

Blakey's defense attorney, Alisdair Williamson, argued that the four women who came forward years later had “invented” their allegations seeking compensation. He suggested there was a “playground gossip” culture at the time that might have fueled rumors, stating, “If a teacher was sacked for a sexual offence, it would be the talk of the school.” He added, “When children talk to each other they say the most extraordinary things, ‘Oh, he touched me as well.’ And after decades, these playground conversations had become a reality for these women.”

All four victims provided testimony during the trial. The first woman, a key witness, described how Blakey repeatedly assaulted her while she read next to his desk, putting his hand up her skirt. She explained she didn’t tell her parents at the time due to embarrassment and not understanding the severity of what was happening, though she knew she “didn’t like it.” She also explained her subsequent discomfort around her father, feeling afraid he might also touch her. The police reports from 2010 noted she initially did not pursue her allegations but later contacted her MP, who urged police to revisit the case, leading to an investigation.

Defense cross-examined her, claiming she was motivated by a desire for compensation. She admitted seeing a solicitor about it only after police declined to investigate. Williamson called her the “driving force behind the allegations,” a point she accepted but clarified her motives were not solely financial.

The second woman reported similar incidents, including being groped and locked in the store room, with Blakey allegedly saying, “You like that, don’t you?” to her. The third victim described an incident where Blakey touched her between the legs after helping her with her ballet costume, an event she kept secret due to shame, because she “felt like it was my fault.” The fourth woman recounted an incident during a PE session, where after children blew Blakey’s whistle on his knee, he touched her under her skirt.

Blakey maintained during his testimony that he had not touched any of the girls while at Oldfield Primary. He expressed displeasure with teaching in Vicars Cross, citing the large class sizes as difficult, and denied the previous conviction, stating he believed he was guilty only of a “technical charge” without sexual motivation.

Following deliberations, the jury—comprising four women and eight men—delivered a unanimous guilty verdict in just three and a half hours.

Judge Elgan Edwards, the Recorder of Chester, addressed Blakey during sentencing, describing his actions as “a serious breach of trust.” He stated, “When these girls were in your care, when you were supposed to be teaching them, you were sexually abusing them. It is a most serious breach of the trust placed in you.”

The judge explained that, based on the timing of the offenses, the maximum sentence for such crimes would be five years. Taking into account Blakey’s age and the absence of any subsequent offenses, Judge Edwards sentenced him to three years in prison, ordered him to sign the sex offenders register for life, and barred him from working as a teacher again.