A former Paedophile Teacher from Sidcup, Paul Clifton, who exploited, coerced, and sexually assaulted two girls, has been incarcerated.
Paul Clifton, 55, of Old Farm Avenue in Sidcup, perpetrated assault against a 16-year-old girl at a southeast London school in 2006 and subsequently molested a 15-year-old girl at a school in Surrey in 2017.
The English teacher manipulated the girls by providing them with excessive attention and gifts prior to coercing them into prolonged sexual encounters.
Paul Clifton admitted nine child sexual crimes and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment in June.
The police investigation commenced in 2019 when the subsequent victim, referred to as Katherine, informed authorities that Paul Clifton initiated a relationship with her at the age of 15.
Katherine utilised creative writing as a means of self-expression to cope with stress at home and interpersonal challenges at school.
She solicited assistance from Paul Clifton, her English instructor, who utilised this opportunity to cultivate her trust.
Paul Clifton designated them with pet names to conceal their clandestine sexual activities.
Katherine kept a journal of their interactions, including the date of their first kiss and times they had sex both on and off school premises over the course of a year.
In a victim statement, Katherine said: “Asking how this impacts my life is like asking someone how they breathe.
“The age I was when this happened is such a pivotal age. It is when you start finding yourself, when you start carving out who you are. The defendant robbed that from me.
“He used gifting me books to gain my trust and get closer to me. Now I think I’m subconsciously connecting books to something terrible. I don’t read anymore.
“Despite all these challenges…I have managed to stay strong and determined. I hold down a job I am proud of, and I am surrounded by friends and family who love me deeply. I still have hope that one day I will enjoy books again. I am still me.
“Ultimately, I hope I can lay these events to rest and progress into a bright future.”
As the investigation was ongoing, a second victim, whom we’ll refer to as Alison, was identified.
Alison was 15 in 2006 when she was groomed by Paul Clifton at a school in south-east London.
He began belittling her in class – making her feel stupid – and made her bring her homework to his home when she missed a deadline.
But Paul Clifton’s tone soon changed, and he began asking Alison for sexual photos.
He convinced her they were in love, and shortly after she turned 16, he persuaded her to go round to his home and have sex with her.
Alison said, “Paul Clifton made me feel stupid and unworthy. He created an image that I would never amount to anything without him.
“Paul Clifton will have no sense of guilt or remorse for what he has done. In my mid-twenties, he found me on Instagram and sent me a direct message saying he didn’t blame me for how things ended and knew what we had was real.
“I received this message in the middle of my working day, and it sent me into a full panic attack. I had to run straight out of the office to try and catch my breath and stop crying, not wanting anyone to see.
“What happened to me…is something that can never be undone.”
When interviewed, Paul Clifton denied any sexual contact with the victims and even claimed to have a father-daughter relationship with Katherine.
This lie failed when the interviewing officer read a text message he had sent telling Katherine he missed “the way you kiss me and touch me, the way you look at me”.
From that moment on, Paul Clifton answered no comment to all questions.
The sex offender later pleaded guilty to sexual communications with a child, sexual activity with a child involving touching, four counts of sexual activity with a child involving penetration, causing or inciting sexual activity with a child and two counts of abusing a position of trust.
Paul Clifton will be subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits him from almost all contact with any female child under 18, and from undertaking any paid, voluntary or recreational activity that is likely to bring him into supervisory contact with any female child under 18.
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