UNITED KINGDOM
Mancunian Matters
15 Jan 2015 | By Samar Maguire
Britain has a ‘victim blaming culture’ and a judge’s claims that a schoolgirl ‘groomed’ her teacher into having sex only makes it worse, says a leading child sex abuse charity chief.
Former religious studies teacher Stuart Kerner, 44, received an 18-month suspended prison sentence for having an affair with an under-age pupil but dodged jail as the judge said he had been ‘manipulated’ by the victim.
While sentencing Kerner, Judge Joanna Greenberg QC described the circumstances of the crime as a ‘tragedy’ and said there was no evidence the teacher had sought the affair.
Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), believes the Kerner case is ‘yet another example of blaming the victim for a crime.’
Mr Saunders, also an ex-North West teacher, told MM: “This is another case of blaming the victim for the crime. We’re talking about a 16-year-old child – and no matter what they look like they are children – and a 44-year-old experienced qualified deputy head teacher.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.