A former drama teacher who fathered a child during a sexual relationship with a pupil has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. Simon Parsons, 52, began the affair when the girl was 16 and continued for four years, including after she left school.
Bristol Crown Court heard that Parsons had sex with the teenager at the school where he taught for 30 years, as well as at hotels and his home in Gloucestershire. The relationship started with kissing and sexual touching when the girl was 16, and Parsons first had sex with her in a London hotel room after treating her to a trip for her 17th birthday.
Judge Neil Ford QC said he imposed the longest sentence possible given Parsons' early guilty plea, emphasising the teacher's breach of trust. “You were a mature married man with a child of your own. She was your pupil living at home with her parents,” the judge stated. The court heard that the victim described feeling “confused and lost” as a result of the abuse.
Parsons, who resigned as a teacher last year, was also banned from working with children and vulnerable people. He admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust. His wife of 12 years, who knew about the affair, pleaded for leniency, describing him as “a gentle man who made a massive mistake.”
The victim's mother expressed horror that the abuse occurred at school, a place where parents expect their children to be safe. Police arrested Parsons after the girl's family discovered he was the father of her child.
