A FORMER Gloucestershire prep school teacher has been convicted for sex offences that he committed almost 30 years ago against a female pupil.

Neil Butler, age 58, was found guilty of one charge of indecency with the girl and three charges of indecently assaulting her on at least seven occasions on the school premises when she was aged 12-13 years old in the 1990s.

The guilty verdict was given at Cirencester Courthouse yesterday, Monday, February 26 after a six day trial.

The court heard that Butler, of Benacre Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, molested the girl when she was sitting alongside him on a coach and on another occasion when they were in the same tent on a camping trip.

These incidents came to light at the time but were never reported to the police.
 
Prosecutor James Haskell told the jury: "Some concerns were raised at the time about his relationship with her. There was an internal investigation.

"Mr Butler then left the school shortly afterwards. 

"The school was perhaps concerned about its reputation and the girl's parents were concerned about the impact on her if the matter was dealt with more formally.

"The police did not become involved until 2021 when the alleged victim came forward and told them what had happened when she was a child.

"She remembers there was a school camping trip and she was in a tent with Mr Butler he asked her to give him a massage: to rub his shoulders. 

"The prosecution case is that request for a massage was sexually motivated and he was already starting to groom her.

"She says that later Mr Butler encouraged her to meet him at a temporary block at the school on occasions when no other children were around.

"He would kiss her and she says that, in her 12 year old mind, she thought she was in a relationship with him.

"She says this kissing and touching happened once every week and in time it became more often.  It went on for about a year.

"She recalled a school trip abroad when she ended up sitting next to Mr Butler on the coach and he assaulted her.

"After the trip, she says, that 'it all came out' at the school and her parents questioned her about what had been going on but she felt she had to protect Mr Butler."

When Butler was interviewed by police he denied that there had been any sort of inappropriate relationship, sexual contact or touching between him and the girl.

However, the jury found Butler guilty of all charges yesterday, Monday, February 26.

Butler will be sentenced on Wednesday, April 17.