School band teacher faces multiple sexual offence charges

A school band instructor is to face trial, accused of sexually assaulting teenage girl pupils by “striking them on their buttocks with drum sticks”.

James Clark, 54, is said to have sexually assaulted eight teenage girls and one younger girl over a period of seven and a half years at the school in Perthshire.

Clark, the school’s former drumming instructor, is alleged to have struck three of the teenage girls on the buttocks with drum sticks, as well as touching their buttocks and cuddling them.

He faces eight charges of sexually assaulting girls at the school – aged between 13 and 18 at the time – by touching their buttocks.

A ninth alleged victim, also said to have been touched on the buttocks, was younger than teenage at the time.

All the assaults are said to have taken place at the school but one of the alleged victims is also said to have had her buttocks touched and struck with drum sticks by Clark at another location.

Another girl is said to have been sexually assaulted at the school and in a vehicle.

Clark is said to have removed her clothing and bitten her mouth and neck before carrying out a series of sexual acts.

A number of the girls are said to have been subjected to sexual remarks made by Clark.

The charges state he did so for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification, or of humiliating, distressing or alarming the girls mentioned in the charge.

Clark also faces nine alternative charges, alleging that while the girls were pupils and he was looking after them, he engaged in sexual activity with them or directed at them.

The activity is said to have happened, in a period from August 2011 to mid-February last year.

At Stirling Sheriff Court yesterday, Clark, of Etrick Loan, Edinburgh, pled not guilty to all the charges.

Bail was continued and trial was set for June 5.

The trial, before a jury, is expected to last five days.