A teacher groomed his teenage pupil before abusing her for years and taking indecent images of her, almost 40 years before he was finally jailed.
Anthony Woolford was working as a teacher in the late 1980s when he began grooming the girl, who was one of his pupils.
He initiated sexual activity with her in classroom cupboards at the school where he worked.
Woolford then began picking her up at weekends, supposedly to take her to church services.
Instead, he would take her for ‘prosecco and prawns’ before taking her back to his address, where he abused her and took indecent images of her.
Some of the images were discovered in Woolford’s possession in 2018 during another investigation.
The victim-survivor identified herself in the photographs in 2023.
She said discovering the images still existed had left her with ‘utter shame’ and a lasting fear that they could resurface.
The woman also described how the abuse affected her life, including a reliance on cigarettes and alcohol which she said Woolford initially encouraged.
She struggled to complete her academic education and said she had lived in ‘a prolonged state of hypervigilance’.
The victim-survivor said Woolford had denied knowing her and described his denial as ‘another attempt to erase me, to erase what he did, and to protect himself at any cost’.
Despite this, she said coming forward had been a hugely cathartic part of her healing.
‘For the first time, I am not carrying this alone,’ she said.
‘Coming forward has forced me to relive things I never wanted to revisit.
‘But I am here because my voice matters.’
She said reporting Woolford meant she had ‘stood up for the child I once was, and for every child who deserves protection and safety’.
Woolford, now 76, was jailed for 12 years at Guildford Crown Court today for rape, indecent assault and possession of indecent images.
He had denied the allegations throughout the case.
DC Fiona Clare, the investigating officer, paid tribute to the victim-survivor for coming forward after so many years.
She said: ‘Her bravery has put Woolford behind bars, and it would not have happened without her.’
A pre-sentencing report assessed that the risk posed by Woolford ‘is unmanageable in the community’ and that he is ‘highly likely to re-offend’.
DC Clare said the victim-survivor had ‘undoubtedly protected others and prevented potential future offences’ by coming forward.
Police said it is never too late for victims of sexual offences to report what happened to them.
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