Choirmaster and School teacher Mark Burgess convicted of abuse
After a 12-week trial, a jury at Portsmouth Crown Court has found Choirmaster and school teacher Mark Burgess guilty of 48 counts of abuse.
The offences involved 13 children and took place between 1976 and 2009.
The convictions include: 26 counts of indecent assault, 15 counts of gross indecency with a child, four counts of buggery, one count of attempted indecent assault and two counts of sexual activity with a child.
Burgess was a choir master at All Saints Church in Portsmouth, and at Westbourne Choir in Sussex. The abuse took place during piano lessons, in the church vestry, school music room and in his car.
Some of his victims have said: “The extent of Mark Burgess’s abuse on all of us has been shocking and has turned our worlds upside down.”
He is due to be sentenced on 30th June 2021.
