Trial told Warblington School teacher took pupil's virginity and said 'I could go to prison for this'

A TEACHER secretly groped, kissed and rubbed himself against teenage girls at school – telling one pupil as he took her virginity: ‘I could go to prison for this,’ a court heard.
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Assistant head teacher Sean Aldridge, 37, texted ‘sweet nothings’ and made one youngster ‘giddy’ before going on to kiss, cuddle, grope, have sex with and perform sex acts on her, jurors hearings allegations from four girls were told.

The PE teacher who ‘(rose) through the teaching ranks’ has gone on trial facing 28 allegations of sexual activity with the girls aged 13 to 16 while he was at Warblington School in Havant between 2006-2012.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard how dad-of-two Aldridge, of Edmund Road, Southsea, used two mobile phones to text and call the complainants - telling them to use one in the day and the other after school in a bid to avoid his wife finding out.

Sean Aldridge is on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court. Picture: Solent News & Photo AgencySean Aldridge is on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court. Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency
Sean Aldridge is on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court. Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency

Jurors were told Aldridge, who also used the name Jack Ridge, was investigated by teachers and previously the police over allegations but no action was taken.

Girls who were quizzed in the 2010 and 2012 probes denied anything happened but later told police variously of sex, kissing, touching and performing sex acts on each other at school and his home, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Robert Bryan said the first girl told police ‘they had sex pretty much every day - she said if it wasn’t sex it was sexual stuff’.

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He added: ‘She said she thought it was love but looking back as an adult she realised it was just about sex.’

Mr Bryan said: ‘She remembers thinking that he had ruined her first sexual encounter. As they were having sex he said “I could go to prison for this” and he said it over and over again.’

At first he would text her ‘sweet nothings’ making her feel ‘giddy’ before texting: ‘Do you want to play with yourself?’ They went on to sext each other, the court heard.

When Aldridge was arrested at school and taken to custody. Mr Bryan said: ‘He did say that he had history of being late. He said there was not time for sex in the morning.’

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Aldridge told police: ‘I am shocked by the allegations, they are simply untrue and didn’t happen, there’s nothing more that I can possibly say.’

Detailing the allegations made by the youngest of the four girls, Mr Bryan said: ‘She remembered he had unbuttoned her top, run his fingers down her neck and put his hand underneath her bra and felt her breasts. He told her how nice her breasts were for her age.’

Aldridge ‘got aggressive’ when she told him that she ‘wanted to stop everything,’ Mr Bryan said, and added: ‘On one occasion he shouted at her. She said if he ever did that again she would come forward. He said, why would she be believed over him?’

Jurors heard she said he ‘pushed her forward’ in one incident and ‘slapped her backside’ before running his hand along her thigh under her skirt.

‘He thought it was funny. She told him to get off,’ Mr Bryan said.

Aldridge denies 28 charges. His trial is due to take three weeks.

(Proceeding)