Former teacher gave victim preferential treatment in school

Richard Chipchase picked the girl out for preferential treatment, repeatedly hugging and stroking her, buying her cigarettes, alcohol and jewellery.

On one occasion he refused to let her out of a storeroom when she refused to give him a hug, making her fearful, and while giving her a lift home he put his hand up her skirt and touched her privates.

Liverpool Crown Court heard about the histori ccase on Thursday (April 15).

The court said matters came to a head when he was reported him for inappropriate behaviour to another pupil.

he Wirral school, Woodchurch High, had already had suspicions about Chipchase and his relationship with the girl and when they spoke to her she revealed what had been happening.

There was an investigation by the Independent Safeguarding Authority and Chipchase, who was head of maths, was subsequently dismissed from the school and his teaching licence revoked. The police were told but she did not tell them about the abuse in his car and they left matters to the school to deal with, said Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting.

But last year the victim contacted the council about what had happened during her school years and Chipchase, 55, was interviewed by police during which he denied behaving inappropriately.

He appeared in the dock today and was jailed for 27 months by Judge Gary Woodhall who pointed out that the offences spanned four years and were persistent despite interventions by the school and his partner.

“You abused and manipulated your position of trust in order to groom and then exploit this vulnerable young girl over a number of years for your own sexual gratification,” he said.

“You targeted her because you identified her as vulnerable.”

Miss Mottram said that the victim had struggled with the transition from primary school to secondary school and played up in class. She had a lot of pastoral intervention and was described as “emotionally vulnerable.”

“Mr Chipchase seemed to pay her particular attention. He would let her off with her maths homework and told her that if she needed anyone to talk to she could come to him. He had a store cupboard at the back of his classroom, where he kept chocolate and treats and he told her that she could go there if she needed time away from a lesson.

“She reports that in Year 7 he was just very friendly and kind to her. As she moved into Year 8 however, things changed.

“He let her listen to music in the classroom, caught her smoking but didn’t report her and started to buy her cigarettes. He would complement her on her looks telling her that she was pretty and would hug her at any given opportunity.

Towards the end of Year 8, there was some concern within the school about the amount of time he was spending with the girl and she was told by another teacher that she was not allowed to spend time with Mr Chipchase and she should go home.

The following day she had a mock maths exam and tried to speak to the defendant but he ignored her, which upset her. But during the exam he put a post-it note on her work with his mobile telephone number on.

From then they started texting each other every day and he was also buying alcohol and cigarettes for her, collecting her from places and dropping her home.

“At some point in Year 9, she recalled that the contact stopped for a short time. He told her that his girlfriend had found out about the contact and wasn’t happy about it. Whilst the texting stopped, she still saw him in school and was still allowed to use the store room,” said Miss Mottram.

On one occasion he sat with her in the maths resource room and told her how pretty her eyes were and was stroking her back.

It was in the following school year he asked her for a hug while they were in the store cupboard and when she refused he held on to the door and would not let her out.

“He was saying to her that he wouldn’t let her out until she gave him a hug. The space was only small and she recalls feeling really scared. When he eventually did unlock the door another maths teacher was stood outside. The defendant told her that the girl was just calming down.

“After this incident she reports that her view of her relationship with Mr Chipchase changed. She began to feel that it was wrong.”

Miss Mottram said that by then she had a boyfriend and the defendant drove her to his house.

“During the journey he asked her if she’d had sex with her boyfriend. She reports feeling very embarrassed by the inappropriate conversation. He then put his hand on her knee, moving it under her skirt. He moved her knickers over and touched her vagina. She pushed his hand away. He didn’t seem sorry or embarrassed he just laughed.

“From then on that he became more tactile with her, hugging her more, stroking her arm and back, kissing the top of her head. These acts were always out of the view of the other students and teachers in his classroom or in the store cupboard.”

By Year 11 the school had a new school building and his classroom no longer had a store cupboard so they started meeting more outside of school and he gave her regular lifts and take her to McDonalds.

“Throughout the time at the school the defendant would write her letters, give her books and DVDs. He once gave her a book which he had written inside the cover I hope you enjoy this, love R with a kiss. He bought her bits of jewellery and other small trinkets.”

In an impact statement the victim told how his behaviour had an impact on her mental health and affected her relationship with her parents. It also affected her maths grades although she has since been able to catch up.

“She felt no one understood her at the time and it had an ongoing affect on her.”

Chipchase, of Welford Avenue, Prenton, pleaded guilty to four historic charges of sexual activity.

Steven Swift, defending, said that the defendant’s behaviour came to light when he offered his resignation but it was not accepted and he was instead dismissed and his teaching licence revoked.

He has since rebuilt his life with a new career and has a partner and son and no other convictions. After it came to light, he was investigated it led to the loss of his home and bankruptcy.

“It took him 18 months to really start his life afresh. He is held in high regard and has built his life anew. He has expressed remorse and regret,” he said.

Judge Woodhall told grey-haired Chipchase, that he had given the girl “preferential treatment” letting her off homework, buying her gifts and cigarettes and complimenting her looks.

“Your sexual conduct with the child began when she was 12 and continued until she was 15.”

Despite his preferential treatment coming to the school’s notice and steps taken to ensure she did not spend time with him he kept in touch with text messages. He “manipulated” her, telling her her parents did not understand her in the same way as he did.

He pointed out Chipchase had not stopped his offending behaviour, it was only brought to an end because of investigations prompted by the school led to his dismissal.

The victim had told how her “memory of her school years will be forever tarnished,” he said. She had felt at the time that she would not be believed and might be blamed.

Judge Woodhall said that Chipchase, who taught at the school for 10 - 13 years, was described as “elusive” at times when speaking to the probation service and claimed not to recall all the incidents. The author of the probation report concluded he struggled to form appropriate relationships and focused of those with people younger than himself.

He ordered Chipchase to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years.