Ex-teacher, 90, in court over historic child sex abuse charges

A 90-year-old man will appear in court today charged with historical sexual offences against a young boy while he was a teacher.

Derek Barker of Limpley Stoke, Wiltshire, will appear at Bath Magistrates’ Court charged with three sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. The offences are alleged to have taken place against a young boy in the mid-Seventies at Monkton Combe School in Bath, where Barker was employed at the time.

The charges reflect the principle that criminal investigations, especially those involving abuse of power and trust, should still be brought even if it is decades later. It is vitally important survivors can feel confident their voices will be heard and they’ll be taken seriously by police, no matter when they choose to come forward. For too long, police forces and other institutions refused to listen, but this case shows progress has been made over the last decade.

Cases like this often come with unique challenges but that does not mean such cases are any less valid or important. Survivors of abuse are increasingly finding the strength to speak up, and the justice system must applaud them and keep responding by ensuring those claims are taken seriously, no matter how much time has passed.

At Bolt Burdon Kemp we are committed to supporting survivors of abuse in seeking justice. I am an experienced solicitor who acts on behalf of survivors of abuse and I happy to speak directly to survivors trying to understand their legal rights.