Victims of Norwich teacher John Foxley speak up about abuse

Two victims of child sexual abuse have waived their right to anonymity to speak about how teacher John Foxley affected their lives, and how they hope others will come forward now that he has been convicted. Foxley, who taught at the former Bracondale School in Norwich, was jailed for 16 years on Wednesday for abusing five boys over a decade, from the early 1980s.

"This isn't something you just decide you are going to be - a paedophile," said Matt Pike.

"He was very clever at what he did. He'd plied his wares for a long time, groomed people, he knew exactly what he was doing.

"He was doing it solely for his own gratification."

As a young boy at Bracondale School, Mr Pike was warned by Foxley, his former geography teacher, not to tell anyone about what was taking place.

"When you're at the age of 12, who's going to believe you that this happened? In the 80s people looked the other way," he said.

"You'd turn up for school on a Monday and couldn't wait until Friday.

"And then you couldn't wait until half-term, and then you couldn't wait until the end of term, and then you can't wait until you're 15 and you leave school.

"You pack all those memories in a little suitcase in your head and shut the suitcase and try and get on with your life."

Mr Pike would have liked Foxley, now 68, to have been given a longer jail term than 16 years, but the law about sentencing of historical sexual abuse cases prevents this.

It says when such an offender is sentenced, the punishment should be according to the law at the time the offence was committed.

"If my geography teacher had done what he'd done in 2003 and onwards, I'm right in saying, his sentence would have totalled 98 years.

"Instead the judge had to revert back to the old system."

"I feel like 30 years' weight of misunderstanding and questioning has evaporated," said Chris Sargisson, speaking after Foxley was jailed.

"I felt believed, because up until that point, really right up to that point, you question.

"I think the experience of Bracondale could have ruined my life. I left that school with zero self-worth."

Mr Sargisson said of Foxley: "There was nothing remarkable about him as a teacher, and that was kind of the point, he was in the shadows.

"He was able to use his position as a house master to get children on their own regularly unquestioned."

With regards to the jail sentence, he said: "He should have got more years but he won't live more years, so it's a life sentence."

Both of the abused men expect more former pupils to come forward now Foxley has been jailed.

"This isn't the end of this, there were five of us, but there will be more," said Mr Sargisson.

It is thought Foxley sexually abused others, not only in Norwich, but at other schools where he used to teach. 

If you are affected by the issues in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. Or the Norfolk Sexual Assault Referral Centre can be contacted on 01603 276381.

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