Jakey says the abuse he suffered ‘has been a big part of my life that left me with a lot of scars’
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
After Jakey won a scholarship to a private school, he was sexually abused by a teacher.
He was made even more vulnerable because his parents were in awe of the man who abused him.
Jakey won a place at a private school in the 1990s. As part of his scholarship, he was obliged to join an extra-curricular group. He describes Antone, the head of the group, as an ‘unusual teacher, charismatic, quite childish, playful, but also quite bullying in a way’.
Antone organised frequent trips for the group. Jakey remembers ‘There were rumours that he was interested in boys and was quite “handsy”. But at 11 I wasn’t really aware’.
Following a trip that Jakey attended, his parents received a call from the school saying that Antone had been fired and was being investigated for alleged child sexual abuse. A teacher from the school visited Jakey’s house, but no police officer came with him. Jakey says ‘I think he was trying to garner support for witness statements against Antone’.
Antone visited Jakey at home, apparently trying to win support for his ‘innocence’. A number of parents made it known that they did not believe the allegations against Antone, and Jakey’s parents were also firmly of this view.
During the police investigation and subsequent court case, Jakey’s parents welcomed Antone to their house, and even allowed their son to have one-on-one lessons with him.
At this point, Antone began to sexually abuse Jakey. This began with the teacher emotionally manipulating Jakey. Jakey explains ‘I was going to his [home] for lessons while he was being investigated by the police … one day he started crying’.
Jakey says that he was ‘an empathic kid’ and he innocently put his arm round Antone. ‘I felt I was doing something to help’ Jakey says. Antone took advantage of the empathy shown by Jakey and sexually abused him for about two years.
The investigation concerned alleged sexual abuse committed by Antone on another pupil, during a school trip that Jakey had attended. Antone asked Jakey if he would lie to support his story that he could not have been in the boy’s room when the abuse occurred.
Jakey recounts ‘I said yes, despite the fact I was being abused’. He continues ‘My parents knew I’d been asked to lie and went along with it’.
After this, Jakey was ostracised at school. Antone was still allowed access to Jakey and continued abusing him.
At the end of the school year, Jakey implored his parents to send him to a different school, which they did. ‘That was the beginning of my escape.’
Jakey finished school and went to college. He describes being aware that he still carried ‘this very dark secret’.
Some time later, the police contacted Jakey. They were investigating new allegations against Antone, who was by this time working in another school, and Jakey’s name had come up in their enquiries.
Jakey agreed to give evidence for the prosecution, but the case collapsed because other victims and survivors did not want to testify.
Jakey suffered with depression after this, and his wife encouraged him to have counselling. ‘I think it has helped a lot’ he says. He still finds it very difficult that his parents supported the man who abused him. He says ‘They have never really accepted the horror of what happened to me’.
Jakey is still concerned that Antone may still have one-to-one contact with children and he has been in touch with the police about this.
He believes that there have been improvements in terms of safeguarding since he was a child, when it was more about ‘minimising and shrugging off … being British and not making a fuss’.
Jakey thinks it is better to have an investigation if there is even the slightest suspicion. ‘We all have a responsibility to act’ he says.