Former teacher jailed for sex offences

Roger Lunn, 76, of High Street, Soham, pleaded guilty to ten counts of indecent assault. On Thursday, Hove Trial Centre heard that Lunn had preyed on the children while he was working as a music teacher at a school near Haywards Heath. Neither they nor the school can be identified, to protect the victims’ anonymity. Prosecutor Marcus Fletcher said the two victims, who are now grown men, had been emotionally damaged by their experiences. “Both are in significant roles, successful men, but haunted by these events,” he said. “They came forward because, as they put it, of the danger posed by the defendant. He, in effect, violated their innocence.” He said one boy’s parents had reported the matter to the school’s headteacher, but the complaint was dealt with internally. Mr Fletcher said this was presumably done to protect the school’s reputation. “It doesn’t appear that the police were involved in any way,” he said. “For [that boy] however, it did stop.” In 2010, Lunn was convicted on three counts of indecent assault, involving similar offences in Cambridgeshire, London and Sussex. On that occasion he was given a three year probation order, ordered to complete a sex offenders’ treatment programme, and put on the sex offenders’ register for five years. Miss Mohammed, representing Lunn, said he had pleaded guilty, sparing his victim from having to give evidence. She said her client is in poor health, and time in prison will be particularly hard for him. Sentencing, Recorder Tom Nicholson Pratt said: “You have pleaded guilty to two serious offences against two people who were young boys at the time. “I’ve been told about the impact that your offending has had on them in terms of their emotions, their relationships.” He said Lunn had been in a position of trust and had ‘breached it in quite a gross way’. “I don’t know why, when matters were reported to the headmaster of the school, nothing went further, but there it is,” he added. “You’ve pleaded guilty and you will receive full credit for that. I’m aware, obviously, that you have health issues, and you’re clearly of senior years.” He placed Lunn on the sex offenders’ register for life.