South London support worker Michael Commettant sentenced for abusing pupil

A school support worker has been jailed after sexually abusing a female pupil.

Michael Commettant, 27, a learning behaviour mentor at a south London school, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.

Commettant, of Lambeth, south London, also pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.

He groomed the pupil during calls from a withheld number and emails on a secret account, breaching the safeguarding practices he was required to follow as part of his role at the school.

The school reported concerns about his behaviour, which led to detectives circulating him as “wanted” and his subsequent arrest.

Woolwich Crown Court also placed Commettant on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years after he’s released, during his sentencing on Wednesday April 17.

I hope the pupil involved in this case now has the support to heal and find closure. I know from my clients’ experiences in similar situations the criminal process can be extremely upsetting and stressful for a survivor. It can be incredibly difficult to disclose sexual abuse and have to re-tell others what happened to them as part of that process.

Sexual abuse survivors are entitled not only to report their crimes to police but also to seek compensation from the individual perpetrators and institutions if the perpetrator was their employee.

A civil claim for compensation can enable survivors to access funding for therapy and losses as a result of abuse they have experienced.

Anyone who has suffered abuse in a school setting can contact me directly for free, no-obligation advice about their rights.