Overview
- Simon Taylor, 43, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court to four-and-a-half years in prison and given lifetime safeguards including the sex offenders' register, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restraining orders, and a ban on working with children.
- The abuse began while the teenager was a pupil at Hethersett Academy, continued for more than two years after she left, and escalated from school messaging to email and phone despite a written warning.
- Taylor admitted five offences, including sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of sexual communication with a child.
- Judge Andrew Shaw said Taylor targeted and manipulated the victim and rejected claims that PTSD contributed to the crimes, while the defence cited limited post-service therapeutic support and expressed remorse.
- The victim reported the abuse to police in 2022 and informed Taylor's wife, described her childhood as stolen in court, and the school trust said he had not been employed there since July 2021.