In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that then 77-year-old Peter Webb—a former housemaster and woodwork teacher—was jailed for a third time just days before his scheduled release from prison. The investigation established that Webb had been serving a five-and-a-half-year term for previous predatory child sexual abuse at the exclusive Christ’s Hospital school in Horsham, West Sussex. The prosecution reported at Hove Crown Court that Webb was convicted of three additional counts of indecent assault against a boy pupil aged 11 to 12 during the early 1970s.
The investigation established that Webb operated as a predatory abuser, utilising his position of trust to facilitate serial child sexual abuse. The prosecution reported that Webb would sneak into boys’ dormitories to touch them as they slept and indecently assaulted victims in the school kitchen. One survivor, now in his 50s, described himself as a “spindly, crying-inside little boy” who was subjected to child sexual abuse at least 12 times while making coffee for Webb before morning communion.
BREACH OF TRUST AND JUDICIAL FINDINGS
The court reported that Webb worked at the prestigious £36k-a-year boarding school for 20 years before being asked to leave in 1984 following a report of child sexual abuse. The investigation established that it took decades for survivors to find the strength to come forward, often prompted by seeing other Christ’s Hospital teachers being brought to justice. The prosecution reported that Judge Christine Laing QC condemned Webb for contesting the charges simply to avoid an extended sentence, stating that his actions were a serious breach of trust and identifying him as a true predator.
Judge-led proceedings at Hove Crown Court concluded in 2020. For his actions in Horsham and the nature of the serial child sexual abuse reported, Peter Webb was sentenced to an additional 12 months in prison. This latest term follows his previous convictions in 2015 and 2017 for a series of indecent assaults on five other boys between 1974 and 1984. The investigation established that Webb is one of five former staff members from the school charged with violating the safety and human rights of pupils.
STATUS AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS
Based on the judicial orders issued in 2020:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Indecent child sexual abuse x3 [Third separate conviction]).
- Custodial Status: SERVING (In 2020, sentenced to an additional 12 months; currently incarcerated).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- SHPO Status: Active FOR LIFE (Imposing permanent prohibitions on contact with children and strict digital/physical monitoring).
- Recidivism History: Three separate convictions (2015, 2017, and 2020) for serial child sexual abuse spanning a 10-year period.
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barred List (Indefinite and permanent ban from any role involving children or regulated activity).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Hove Crown Court; investigated by Sussex Police.
- Criminal Record: Former Housemaster who targeted 11-year-old boarders; Sneaked into dormitories; Woodwork teacher who committed child sexual abuse against at least 6 pupils; Jailed for the third time in 2020.
- Origin: Horsham, West Sussex (Offences committed at Christ’s Hospital school).
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
Webb is managed as a Category 1 high-risk offender under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Level 3 in Sussex. Due to the nature of his behaviour—specifically his “serial” history of targeting young boys over several decades and his refusal to admit his crimes—he is a priority for the most intensive level of security within the carceral system. Authorities reported that the 2020 conviction ensures Webb is permanently flagged on national databases, meaning any attempt to return to a position of trust or interact with children in Horsham or elsewhere is strictly blocked.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that Webb’s behaviour identifies an individual who prioritised his own perverted gratification over the safety and human rights of the children in his care. Any attempt by Webb to evade his notification requirements or his restrictive court orders upon his eventual release will result in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who has repeatedly violated the principles of human decency through serial child sexual abuse.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was a “Housemaster” who was asked to leave the school in 1984 but wasn’t jailed until 2015, do you believe the law should legally mandate that all private schools must provide their historical “Dismissal Records” to the police every 5 years for review?
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