Simon Taylor, a former teacher and Army veteran, has lost his bid to reduce his four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a vulnerable pupil. The Court of Appeal in London dismissed his claim that his PTSD should have been given greater weight during sentencing.
Taylor was jailed at Norwich Crown Court in January after admitting two counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust, and two counts of sexual communication with a child. The offences took place over more than two years, starting while the victim was a pupil at Hethersett Academy in Norfolk, where Taylor worked, and continuing after she left the school.
Appeal Dismissed
During the appeal hearing, Taylor's lawyers argued that the sentence was too high and that the sentencing judge, Andrew Shaw, had failed to adequately consider mitigating factors, including his post-traumatic stress disorder. Taylor's PTSD stemmed from having part of his right leg amputated after his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2009.
However, three senior judges — Mr Justice Goose, Lord Justice Foxton, and Judge Sylvia De Bertodano — rejected the appeal. Mr Justice Goose stated: "The complainant was a vulnerable child and had been targeted, manipulated and groomed into believing that the applicant was the only adult who cared for her." He added that the judge correctly increased the sentence to reflect the totality of the offending, which required "a significant uplift from its starting point."
Continued Offending
The court noted that Taylor continued his offending despite being warned about his behaviour. He also contacted the girl on the school's messaging platform and deleted messages to "destroy" evidence.
Mr Justice Goose said: "We are not persuaded that such a sentence can be described as excessive or wrong in principle. The offences were committed against the background of the applicant’s position at a school, one of very high trust."
Additional Orders
Taylor, who watched proceedings from HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, made no reaction as his appeal was dismissed. In addition to the prison sentence, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register, made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order, and barred from working with children.
