Hari

Hari was sexually abused when he was seven or eight years old, by the headmaster of his school.

He reported the abuse many years later, but felt let down by the response from the police.

Hari attended a Church of England school. When pupils did well or had done something wrong, they were sent alone to the headmaster’s office. He remembers being there twice, because he had done good work, and how the head would ‘put his hands all over your shorts’.

Hari also comments that the headmaster was ‘all over’ the boys when they got changed after swimming. 

The third time he was sent to the head’s office was after he was reprimanded on a school trip. The headmaster made Hari pull his trousers and pants down, put him over his knee, and spanked his bare bottom.

After this, Hari told the headmaster ‘You are not doing that to me again’. He didn’t tell anyone what had happened at the time, but about 40 years later he made a report to the police.

He was interviewed by two officers who told him that more than a dozen other boys had come forward with accusations against the same abuser, and that a case was going to trial. 

Hari did not hear from the police for nearly a year, when an officer called him and said that the headmaster had been found not guilty. 

As an adult gay man, Hari has suffered homophobic attacks and his dealings with the police have eroded his trust in them. He was once told he should just avoid the attackers. 

Hari says it is crucial that victims and survivors are treated with respect and that when it is proved that people have suffered, they should receive compensation. 

He feels that he dealt with the abuse he suffered as a child because he was able to stand up to the headmaster, but he would like the police to make sure they keep victims and survivors updated on the progress of investigations and court cases.