School says it would now handle complaints differently, after teacher is sentenced to 11 years for assaults on students in dark, soundproofed practice rooms

Britain’s leading classical music school told the parents of a girl who complained that she had been attacked by her teacher that she should study elsewhere, 30 years before he was finally jailed for sexually assaulting her and other students.

Philip Pickett, a former teacher at the Guildhall school of music and drama, was jailed for 11 years for raping and sexually assaulting young women.

Police believe there is a high possibility that other women may have been attacked by Pickett, an internationally renowned musician who worked for 25 years as a freelance teacher at the Guildhall school and a private music tutor, and who also toured the world performing.

Pickett’s victims were assaulted in a soundproofed practice room and were only reported to police more than three decades later.

How abuse trial exposed dark secret at top music schools Read more

Investigators, who said that the publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile scandal had led to one of Pickett’s victims reporting his crimes, have appealed for any other victims to come forward.

The prestigious Guildhall school is facing criticism over the way it handled the initial allegations against Pickett. In one case, a family who had complained about Pickett attacking their 17-year-old daughter in 1984 were told by the school that she should have her lessons elsewhere as no one else had complained.

Guildhall said it would now handle such a complaint differently: “Today it is unthinkable that a complaint of this nature would not be dealt with appropriately and immediately; a teacher would be suspended while the complaint was investigated by the police, and if it was found to be true, immediate dismissal would take place, as per the school’s safeguarding policy.”

Pickett was sentenced at the Old Bailey for raping two teenage girls and another two indecent assaults which started in the late 1970s. At a hearing on Friday, judge Charles Wide lifted the reporting restrictions on Pickett’s case.

Sentencing Pickett, Judge Charles Wide said his victims were in awe of him as their teacher, and that he had specifically targeted those who “would be reluctant to complain and most unlikely to complain”.

“There is the location of the offence in practice rooms at the Guildhall school of music – soundproofed, dark, you turned the lights out,” he said.

“Even if they shouted, they could not be heard, as you knew well, having got them on their own and shut the door. The impact of these very serious sexual offences must have been very great indeed.”

Pickett, 64, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, is considered an expert on early music and was a celebrated performer who played with, among others, Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention and more recently Carlos Núñez. He was involved in founding the New London Consort and Musicians of the Globe ensembles.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Guildhall school of music and drama, London. Photograph: PR

The process of bringing Pickett to justice started when a victim who was attacked in 1978, when she was 16, reporting him to Suffolk police, who referred her complaint to the City of London force.

The woman, then a sixth-form student, was taught to play the recorder by Pickett. He got her to take her top off, claiming she needed to work on her breathing, then got her to lie on the floor. He indecently assaulted her and a week later he raped her.

City of London police arrested Pickett in 2013 and, as a result of media coverage, further victims came forward. In his first attack in either 1977 or 1978, Pickett raped a 21-year-old woman in a practice room after locking the door and turning out the lights. It was a mode of attack he used several times.

Correspondence gathered from the Guildhall school during the investigation uncovered a letter to Pickett from the then principal dated 20 March 1984. In it, he describes his frustration that Pickett had not arranged to see him to discuss the allegations, as he wanted to report back to the family.

DS Maria Woodall from City of London police, who led the investigation, said Pickett’s access to young women over such a long period of time meant there could be more victims who have yet to come forward.

“He taught for 25 years and travelled extensively abroad doing his concerts with young women musicians, so I think there is a high possibility of there being other victims out there,” she said outside the court. “I would urge these people to contact the City of London police.”

She added: “Philip Pickett used his position of authority as an accomplished professor to abuse young, talented women who were vulnerable due to their age and the fact they were pupils of his.

He knew how difficult it would be for them to report his crimes to the school or to the police. “These are appalling crimes and I would like to pay tribute to the victims’ tenacity and bravery during the investigation. I hope they can take solace in knowing they may have stopped more young women being attacked, and others may now feel able to come forward.”

After his conviction on 10 February, Pickett’s defence team tried to delay sentencing to accommodate Pickett’s commitment to arrange three music festivals. But Wide rejected it, saying the defendant had his “head in the sand” and carried on as if nothing had happened. He said: “Mr Pickett has just got on with his professional life, keeping these complainants waiting for months.”

The dark secret of abuse at some of the UK’s most prestigious music schools was exposed by the trial of Michael Brewer in 2013. Brewer was head of music at Chetham’s in Manchester, and was found guilty of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old pupil. His victim, the violinist Frances Andrade, killed herself after giving evidence against Brewer, and did not live to see him sentenced to six years in jail.



The trial at Manchester crown court led to an investigation by Greater Manchester police, codenamed Operation Kiso. So far, two music teachers linked to Chetham’s and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) have been convicted of abusing their students. A further two are due to stand trial later this year.

A spokesperson from the Guildhall school, where Pickett taught music between 1972 and 1997, said: “Although these events took place several decades ago, this does not diminish our utter shock that a professional music teacher could abuse the trust placed in him by the school and its students.

“The Guildhall school wholeheartedly welcomes the verdicts. Justice has been done and our thoughts are with the victims of these dreadful crimes.

“The Guildhall school takes the duty of care of its students extremely seriously. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place at the school to ensure safe learning environments for all students and these measures are regularly reviewed.”

At Friday’s hearing, Wide ordered that two further indictments in relation to allegations by two women dating back to the 1970s lie on file. Pickett was cleared of six further counts of indecent assault.

City of London have asked any other victims of Pickett to contact specially trained detectives on 0800 056 0154 or Investigation@cityoflondon.pnn.police.uk.

