Boarding school owner jailed for historic sexual abuse of students

THE OWNER of a boarding school near York who preyed on vulnerable students has been jailed for three years for historic sexual abuse of two pupils.

Brian Richard Martin, 71, owns Queen Ethelburga’s School, which is in Thorpe Underwood, and has both boarding and day pupils. Martin, of Ferrensby, Knaresborough, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday for three years and three months after he was convicted of sexual assault of a male student in the late 2000s after a retrial first put before a jury in 2018.

He was also found guilty of indecent assault on a girl in the early to mid 1990s at another retrial held in 2019.

Martin, who served as chair of governors at the school, has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register. At his original trial in 2018, Martin was acquitted of six other child sexual abuse offences.

The bravery of the survivors of Martin’s abuse has been paid tribute to by police after they gave evidence that secured Martin’s conviction.

Detective Sergeant Graeme Bevington said: “The students who attended the school considered it to be safe and family oriented, and Brian Martin was a key figure at the school.

“Despite significant investment being made in the school, all this served to do was to create an environment that Martin could exploit for his own sinister gains. He preyed on the vulnerability of the students and was able to manipulate circumstances which allowed him to sexually abuse two children who were boarding students and therefore isolated from their families.

“The bravery shown by the victims in this case to speak out against their abuser cannot be praised highly enough.”