Former PE Teacher Cleared of Sex Assault Charges After Two Trials

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A former PE teacher, Paul Kesterton, has been cleared of charges related to the alleged indecent assault of a teenage girl in the 1990s. Kesterton, 64, initially faced trial in Ipswich Crown Court in August 2022, where he was acquitted of four charges but the jury failed to reach verdicts on six others. A retrial was held last month, but the jury again failed to reach a verdict. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to seek a retrial, and at a hearing at Colchester Magistrates Court, not guilty verdicts were entered on the court record.

Key Takeaways:

  • Paul Kesterton, a former PE teacher at Woodbridge School, was charged with ten offences of indecent assault dating back to the 1990s.
  • Kesterton was initially cleared of four charges but the jury failed to reach verdicts on six others at Ipswich Crown Court in August 2022.
  • A retrial was held in November 2022, but the jury once again failed to reach a verdict.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to seek a retrial.
  • Kesterton released a pre-prepared statement denying an inappropriate relationship with the alleged victim.
  • The alleged victim reported Kesterton's behavior to the police in 2019.
  • Kesterton's relationship with the alleged victim was described as him calling her his "special friend" and allegedly warning her not to tell anyone about their relationship.

Statistics:

  • 10: The number of charges of indecent assault Kesterton faced.
  • 4: The number of charges Kesterton was initially cleared of in August 2022.
  • 6: The number of charges on which the jury failed to reach verdicts in both trials.
  • 1 case: The number of remaining charges dropped by the prosecution after failing to consider a retrial.

Sources:

  • "Former PE teacher cleared of sex assault charges after two trials" by Jane Hunt, [unsourced]