Bernard Haunch, a Sutton paedophile teacher who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old child on a church floor in the 1970s has been incarcerated for multiple historical sex offences.
Bernard Haunch, a convicted sex offender from Marlins Close in Sutton, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday. He was found guilty of nine sexual offences, including four rapes, two counts of buggery, and three indecent assaults against a girl aged between seven and eleven years old from 1975 to 1979.
Bernard Haunch was also convicted of an indecent assault on a boy aged between seven and 11 years old, having previously pleaded guilty to two other indecent assaults on the same boy, all between 1980 and 1983.
All the assaults took place while Haunch was a French teacher at the now-closed Fonthill Preparatory School in Coombe Hill Road, East Grinstead, Sussex.
Bernard Haunch was arrested and charged in July last year. The investigation started last year when the girl, now in her early 40s and not living in Sussex, came forward for the first time to tell police about her ordeal at the hands of Haunch. On his arrest, he assumed the allegations concerned his offences against the boy, who detectives then traced.
Among his offences, Bernard Haunch arranged and took part in a gang rape of a girl on the floor of the school’s consecrated chapel. He was also a member of a group called the Paedophile Information Exchange but claimed it was a discussion group.
Detective Constable Dani Flude of the West Sussex Police child protection team said: “Both victims suffered in silence at the hands of this systematic abuser, who took advantage of his status to subject them each to years of abuse. They have both been courageous in supporting this prosecution and giving evidence, resulting in this man being finally brought to justice.
“Although every case is assessed on its merits, we will always follow up allegations of sexual abuse of children regardless of how long ago they are said to have happened. Anyone who wants to report alleged offending of this type can contact us at any time via 101 and talk confidently to specially trained detectives.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.