Ajaz Karim is one of five former teachers at Christ’s Hospital school to be convicted

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A former sports coach at a leading private school has been jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing six pupils.

Ajaz Karim was found guilty in April of nine charges of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault relating to his time at Christ’s Hospital school in Horsham, West Sussex, between 1985 and 1993. His victims were aged between 14 and 18.

On Thursday at Hove crown court he was sentenced to prison and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

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Karim, 63, of Hammersmith, west London, is one of five former teachers from the school to be convicted of sexually abusing students there. Karim went on to work at a string of prestigious establishments including Eton College and Queen’s Club.

The judge, Christine Henson, said Karim had displayed “complete disregard” for his victims and had “betrayed everything a teacher should stand for”.

The trial heard that Karim gave one girl a massage on the floor of his locked study and touched her inappropriately. He pushed another girl up against a wall and kissed her, and he tried to kiss another and laughed as she ran away.

He left the school after complaints from four pupils made between 1990 and 1993 surfaced. The court heard that victims were critical of the way senior staff handled the allegations, saying he was initially allowed to carry on working even with the girls in question.

Oliver Dunkin, prosecuting, read a statement from one woman saying she was “deeply disappointed” with the school’s response to the complaints. “For 32 years I have lived with the deeply buried memory of events that took place with Karim. Until recently I believed the impact had been minimal and I got on and lived my life,” her statement said.

Another woman said she was warned in 1992 by a school employee that her identity could be revealed if allegations against Karim became public. She the school failed to protect her and she was shunned by classmates after Karim spread rumours about her.

Karim was head coach at the Canary Wharf health club until September last year and has run his own sports consultancy firm, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also worked at London branches of Champneys and Credit Suisse as well as the Hurlingham Club.

Directors of Queen’s tennis club in west London, where Karim said he had worked for 30 years as head of squash, spoke in his defence during the trial.

Peter Begg, a director of the club, said Karim was a “magnetic attraction” at the club, adding: “I trust him completely. I have two daughters. I would entrust my children to [him] even today.”

An NSPCC spokeswoman said Karim was guilty of a “shocking breach of trust”, and added: “We hope today’s sentencing provides some sort of closure for those cruelly targeted by Karim.”