Jeremy Forrest eloped with his pupil after she threatened suicide; though the way the Boob is reporting separately that the mother was distressed that her daughter might be dead, is an implication by the Boob that she feared her daughter would be killed; the very reverse of his actions.

It all began with HER infatuation towards HIM, remember.

The point is that there is everything that is natural about the whole business. A girl who is several years post-puberty – and therefore no more a child than Forrest is a paedophile [sic] -- falls in love with a considerably older young man who reciprocates. This is the most archetypal story of humanity. Nothing that any state can do will ever stop this very sort of thing regularly happening.

Nobody was damaged in any significant way as a result. Jeremy Forrest's wife was merely embarrassed – the marriage had for some time been completely on the rocks in any case – the girl's family have their daughter rather than a suicide victim, and both he and the girl have shown their honest love for each other.

Of course, Jeremy Forrest was 'in loco parentis', in 'a position of trust' – trusted to do what is right and not in any way abuse anyone in his charge. In the strict sense, fair enough, he abused this trust; and clearly he recognised and accepted this in eschewing his right to give evidence himself in his own defence. But he wasn't exploiting his pupil for sexual favours; he was instead genuinely in love with her. He was just a man, and quite a nice one. A normal human being behaving normally -- albeit in exceptional circumstances -- and behaving not badly.