Girls in fear as ‘sickening’ paedophile set to go free
VICTIMS of a teacher described as ‘a paedophile of the most sickening order’ are living in fear after learning that he could be released from jail within weeks.
Nigel Leat, 60, was given an indefinite sentence in 2011 after being convicted of abusing five girls, although it is feared he targeted as many as 40 children in classrooms in Somerset.
When Leat was sentenced, victims were told it would be many years before his release. But it has emerged he could be freed this summer after serving the minimum eight-and-a-half years of his sentence – and has already been moved to an open prison.
One victim, who was just six when she was targeted by Leat, said: ‘He should not be allowed to be released into any community, let alone ours, any time soon.
‘ You only have to look at the crimes he has committed, the people’s lives he has affected – the time served doesn’t add up.
‘I don’t feel safe travelling on public transport or going into the town centre. He told us never to tell because he would come and get us, and now I fear he will.’
The mother of another victim, also abused when she was aged six, said her daughter was ‘terrified of bumping into him and reliving it all over again’.
Leat admitted 32 of f ences against five pupils at a school in Weston-super-Mare between September 2006 and July 2010, including one count of attempted rape and more than 30 sexual assaults.
He also admitted to voyeurism, causing a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act and possessing more than 30,000 indecent photographs and films of children.
Sentencing him, Judge Neil Ford described him as ‘a paedophile of the most sickening order’ who was ‘ clever, cunning, insidious and wicked’, and said he posed a ‘significant risk’ to other girls.
Abuse lawyer Kim Harrison, of Slater and Gordon, said: ‘ The young victims are still suffering the effects of the abuse at this man’s hands. The Parole Board is not beyond making mistakes – you only have to look at the John Worboys case. These men are manipulative characters – it’s important mistakes are not repeated.’
The Parole Board’s decisionmaking process was reviewed following a decision to release taxi rapist Worboys in 2018, which was later overturned.
‘He told us never to tell or else he would get us’