Former pupils suing Repton School over teacher's sexual abuse

A private school is being sued by three former pupils who were sexually abused by one of its teachers.

Simon Clague was jailed last year for indecently assaulting the three teenage girls when he taught at Repton School, in Derbyshire, in the 1990s.

Lawyers for Clague's victims claim the school failed to protect them as he used his position of trust to prey on them.

The school said it was inappropriate to comment on the legal action.

Clague, 57, once of The Pastures in Repton, was sentenced to seven years and 11 months in prison, in March 2022, after admitting eight counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency.

A judge said he "used and abused" his position "for sexual gratification".

He was later indefinitely banned from teaching by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

Abbie Hickson, senior associate at law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, who is representing the three women, said: "As a teacher at Repton School, he [Clague] was placed in a position of trust and authority by the school.

"He used this status to prey on female students, groom and seriously sexually abuse them.

"The full extent of Clague's abuse may not yet be known as there may be survivors out there who have not yet come forward.

"Repton School clearly failed to protect its female students from Clague, and it must now be held accountable for those failures."

On Wednesday, the school said it was not appropriate to comment on the current case but referred to a statement it released after Clague's sentencing.

In its previous statement it said it was "profoundly sorry that the school failed to protect this man's victims", adding any former pupils looking to contact the institution "will be taken extremely seriously".

It added: "It was harrowing to hear how these despicable crimes have impacted on their lives, and we welcome the fact he has been sent to prison - something that has happened thanks to the victims' courage in speaking out.

"The way in which pupils were preyed upon so cynically was no more acceptable in the 1990s than it is now."

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