Last updated at 14:33, Thursday, 14 April 2011

A PERVERTED former headteacher prolonged the agony for his traumatised victims after he tried to take his own life and stopped a trial.

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Ian Glover

Ian Glover also abused his position of trust to groom and abuse his young pupils instead of protecting them, according to the investigating officer.

Detective Constable Amy Smith was in charge of the case which saw the 63-year-old jailed for four years after he was found guilty of 20 charges of indecent assault and four charges of indecency with a child.

Glover, of The Green, Lindal, had denied the charges and claimed the girls had made their stories up.

But he was found guilty on Tuesday after a seven-day trial at Carlisle Crown Court. (12)

The former headmaster of a South Cumbrian primary school committed the offences against two girls in the 1990s.

They were 10 or younger at the time.

Judge Paul Batty QC described the case as “the grossest breach of trust”.

DC Smith, who works in the public protection unit, said it had been a lengthy investigation which began back in April 2009.

The officer said the firstvictim contacted police after she could no longer cope with the memories of what Glover had done to her and the subsequent effects it had on her life.

DC Smith said: “She couldn’t go on keeping it quiet and came to us as a last resort. This had a massive impact on her life. I interviewed her and as with historic cases such as this, it is a very lengthy process. It was during the investigation we came across the second victim.

“After a lot of work we were ready to go to trial last November but the defendant tried to harm himself just before it was due to start. The judge made mention of this when he was sentencing, as his action caused the victims even more anxiety.

“Glover committed terrible crimes while he was in a position of trust in his role as head teacher. His position of power enabled him to groom and abuse young children instead of protecting them as he was entrusted to do.

“I’m sure that the victims won’t forget their ordeals, but I hope they will now be able to move on and begin to rebuild their lives.

“This sentence sends a clear message that both the police and the courts take all cases of sexual abuse very seriously – no matter how long ago the offences occurred. They will be thoroughly investigated and we will make sure that each and every victim receives the appropriate level of support, from the time that they make their first disclosure, right through to the court process.”

Glover has always denied doing anything wrong – and still claims he was not guilty of the string of offences against a third girl which brought him a three-year prison sentence in 2001.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and banned from working with children.

First published at 13:08, Thursday, 14 April 2011
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk