Victims of paedophile head teacher Derek Slade to sue company which ran St George’s School at Wicklewood

Derek Slade who has just been found guilty of a series of sexual assaults against school pupils in his care in the 70s and 80s. For Stephanie Brooks. Archant

Two victims of a paedophile boarding school headmaster, who was jailed for 21 years, are suing the company which employed him.

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In 2010, Derek Slade, headmaster at St George’s School at Wicklewood, was convicted of more than 50 offences of sexually and physically abusing boys at the private school, including assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences.

Now one of his victims, a man aged 45, who lives in Treorchy, Mid Glamorgan, is demanding damages from Anglemoss Ltd, which ran the school.

He said he had suffered pain, unhappiness, humiliation and psychiatric problems as a result of the physical and sexual assaults meted out by Slade at the school between 1978 and 1982, which included beating him with the sole of a shoe, a bat, or a cane and humiliating and terrorising him.

The High Court claim also states that the victim suffered an emotional disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, an emotionally unstable personality disorder, and alcohol dependency.

The company, he says, was responsible for his welfare when he was a boarder at the school, and owed him a duty to keep him safe from personal injury.

The claim said Slade’s abuse and assaults were committed during his employment by Anglemoss, and the company is vicariously liable for his actions.

The victim said what happened to him compromised his education, and prevented him from achieving his potential.

He is seeking damages for his hampered career and future disadvantage on the labour market, as well as the cost of treatment.

A second man, now aged 43, from Southsea, is also suing Anglemoss over his time at the school between 1979 and 1984.

The man said he suffered similar sexual and physical assaults to the first victim and also went on to suffer unhappiness, humiliation, and psychiatric problems, including an adjustment disorder and depression.

He also said the treatment compromised his education and stopped him from achieving his potential.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that despite being educated at Oxford, Slade had no teaching qualifications and meted out brutal bearings to pupils at the school.

He admitted being a paedophile and was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £30,000 when he appeared at the crown court.