CONVICTIONS SECURED IN HISTORIC CHILD SEX CASE

Catherine Donnelly, leading Charles Drinnan successfully prosecuted a children’s mentor employed at a well-known London school following a lengthy and complex investigation into historical child sexual abuse. After a three-week trial, the defendant was convicted of all 14 counts of sexual offences against children, involving five former students.

The offences were committed between 2001 and 2004 at Holland Park Secondary School, where the defendant was employed in a position of trust as a children’s mentor. During this period, he systematically abused his role to target vulnerable pupils, isolating them during one-to-one mentoring sessions, encouraging them to miss lessons, and taking them to empty classrooms. Under the guise of providing emotional support, the defendant made inappropriate sexualised comments and carried out indecent assaults.

The case came to light in 2019 after one victim disclosed the defendant’s behaviour in a closed social media group. This prompted other former students to come forward with similar accounts, leading to multiple reports to the police and a wider investigation.

Despite the defendant’s denial of the allegations, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts. The convictions reflect the strength of the evidence presented and the courage of the victims who came forward.

The defendant is due to be sentenced on 29 January 2026.

Catherine and Charles were instructed by Pauline Curtis of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit.

Media: The Independent