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A former teacher has been convicted of 29 sex offences following a trial which ended yesterday (January 27) at Northampton Crown Court.
The jury took just under 13 hours to convict Robert Gould, aged 74, of 27 counts of indecent assault on a male, one count of indecency with a child, and one count of buggery contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
The offences against the 14 boys took place in the 1970s and 1980s when Gould was a teacher at South End Junior School and a leader at Park Road Methodist Church youth group.
The majority of the abuse took place during school time with Gould inappropriately touching the boys - asking them to sit on his lap or using the guise of “checking their clothing” to molest them.
On one occasion, one of the boys was asked to put the equipment away after football practice and in doing so, got wet because it was raining.
He recalled in court how Gould told him and a friend to get changed out of their wet clothing, molesting him through his underwear whilst telling him he was “checking his pants were dry”.
The court also heard testimony from a man who was abused by Gould but has since sadly died. The man was only ten-years-old at the time of the offences and described how he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Gould, including being “raped in a storage cupboard” in Gould’s classroom multiple times.
Another boy, now a man, described in court how Gould had stayed at his house when he was only 10-years-old and raped him in his own bed.
Other offences took place at the Park Road Methodist Church in Rushden and one offence occurred on a school trip to Wales.
An investigation into Gould was launched in March 2021 when an online report was bravely made by one of the men. It then turned into a major investigation as more and more survivors came forward.
Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Gould took the case to trial, with 13 men courageously taking the stand to detail what had happened to them.
The comprehensive case for the prosecution was made possible by a strong partnership between the police investigation and the prosecutor in the case.
From an early stage, the prosecutor gave legal advice to the investigation, identifying the lines of enquiry that could support a prosecution and advising how a strong case could be built. In turn, the police worked tirelessly to follow these lines of enquiry and secure the evidence from the victims to prosecute Gould for the full extent of his crimes.
As a result, Gould, previously of Wellingborough Road, Rushden, was found guilty today on 29 charges. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, February 21.
Lead investigator - Detective Constable Alice Hornsby from Northamptonshire Police’s SOLAR Team, said: “First of all I want to thank all of the survivors in this case. It takes tremendous bravery to report this type of crime to the police and every single one of them should feel proud of the fact that their courage has resulted in a dangerous man being sent to prison.
“Without them, and the witnesses in this case, making statements and being prepared to go to court, this wouldn’t have been possible.
“It is often difficult for victims of sexual abuse to come forward and this is especially the case for male victims who often believe that they need to remain silent about their experiences because of an internalised belief that speaking up is a sign of weakness.
“On the contrary, these men are some of the bravest men I’ve ever met and their courage and resilience has been incredible, especially as the investigation has taken nearly four years to get to court.
“Robert Gould may have thought that he’d gotten away with his crimes but this case goes to show that it doesn’t matter how much time has passed, convictions for sexual abuse can still be achieved and Northamptonshire Police will always do everything it can to secure them.
“I’d also like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service for their support in this case. We have had a strong partnership from the very beginning of the investigation and together, have managed to secure these guilty verdicts.
“Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to make an appeal to anyone who has suffered sexual abuse but has not yet come forward. Please contact us. We will believe you and we will do everything we can to bring your abuser to justice.”
*This report has been released with the support of the survivors, who have the legal right to lifelong anonymity*
If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.
We will believe you.
If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713.
Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.
You can also visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.
Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.