High Wycombe ex-headteacher could be set for retrial

Angus Blackmore, 57, was headteacher at Beechview Academy, in High Wycombe, from 2016 to 2019 and was alleged to have sexually assaulted and engaged in sexual communications with a child in June 2018.

The ex-headmaster, of Tylers Green, was also accused of four counts of sexual assault against a second child between September 2015 and July 2017. He denies all the charges against him.

After more than 10 hours of deliberations, the jury found Blackmore innocent of engaging in sexual communications by a majority of 10-2, but were unable to reach a verdict on the five other charges.

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When it became clear that the jury would not be able to make further progress on their third day of deliberations, Recorder Bal Dhaliwal opted to dismiss them.

Following this, prosecutor Ian Hope, who described Blackmore as “predatory” in his closing statement, advised it was likely the Crown Prosecution Service would call for a retrial, and that it would confirm this within seven days.

Adjourning the proceedings, Recorder Dhaliwal advised that a new trial date would be set once the CPS has confirmed its intention of holding a retrial.

Throughout the trial, the court heard how in June 2018, Blackmore was alone in his office with a student who had behavioural issues.

Giving evidence, one of Blackmore’s colleagues said that she saw him “stroking” the girl’s thigh through the office window.

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Hearing evidence from the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, she also described how Blackmore “rubbed” her leg while she was in his office.

When Blackmore himself gave evidence, he said he had tapped her on the knee for “one second” to get her attention.

He said: “She (the complainant) was very agitated, wouldn’t sit still, wouldn’t stop looking out of the window. I was trying to have a conversation with her.

“I touched her on her right knee, probably tapped her two times and said ‘listen’ or ‘concentrate.’”

The court also heard from the alleged victim that in his office Blackmore had given her a “nice little gentle hug” and that they had also held hands.

Blackmore denied that any of this had taken place.

The prosecutor also told the court about a second girl who was allegedly touched inappropriately by Blackmore between 2015 and 2017, while he was a teacher at Hamilton Academy, also in High Wycombe.

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Mr Hope told the court that Blackmore would also hug this child and touch her stomach under her shirt. This would allegedly take place “every other day.”

Denying all of these allegations, Blackmore said: “There were no words being said, no touching. There was no sexual motivation.

“I have not touched the girls, I am not sexually attracted to young girls, I never have been and never will be.”

In her closing statements, defence barrister Kim Preston described the allegations against Blackmore as “sinister” and reminded the jury that the girl who was allegedly assaulted in June 2018 was a known liar.

She said: “You can’t dismiss the fact that this is a child that, on her own mother’s account, is a fantasist.

“She was almost laughing at some of the allegations that her child had made.”

Angus Blackmore was charged with five counts of sexually assaulting a child and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child. He denies all the charges against him.

He was found not guilty of one count of sexually assaulting a child, but a hung jury was unable to reach a verdict on the five remaining charges.

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