Warblington School teacher accused of sex with pupils tells jury he was best teacher and could 'build rapport' with students

PE teacher Sean Aldridge, 37, claimed the ‘girls could have got together and talked’ following the allegations he had sex with four girls aged 13 to 16 at Warblington School, in Havant, between 2006-2012.

At Portsmouth Crown Court, Aldridge went on the attack after coming under fire from prosecutor Robert Bryan.

‘Why would you say in one of the texts that “I love you”?’ Mr Bryan asked.

Aldridge replied: ‘I didn’t say that.’

But the defendant admitted he was ‘embarrassed’ by some of his messages which were a ‘mistake’.

Under further interrogation, the defendant accused Mr Bryan of mixing up the order of the messages. ‘I think you’re a bit confused. They’re round the wrong way,’ he said.

Mr Bryan asked Aldridge whether he thought he was the best teacher at the school. ‘Yes, I was able to build rapport with pupils,’ the defendant said. ‘You can’t get on by not having a good rapport with students in a place like Havant.’

Aldridge denied messages such as ‘I love you’ came from his phone. ‘It was not me,’ he said.

Asked about a chocolate condom being found behind a washing machine and taking one of the girls to hospital after having a miscarriage, Aldridge fired back: ‘It didn’t happen. She’s making it up.’

Citing one incident with a girl, whose first sexual experience was ‘ruined’ by Aldridge allegedly saying he ‘could go to prison for this’, Mr Bryan looked the defendant in the eyes and said: ‘You and the truth are unhappy bedfellows.’

Aldridge said of the alleged encounter: ‘It never happened.’

But he went on to admit he had been dishonest to his wife and the school over an internal investigation. ‘I’ve told lots of lies,’ Aldridge said.

His estranged wife, Georgette Aldridge, told jurors it was a ‘total bolt from the blue’ when her husband said he had slept with one of the girls after she left school.

Mrs Aldridge, who confirmed she was in the process of divorcing her husband, launched a stinging attack on girls who had made up ‘disgusting’ rumour.

She said: ‘I’ve been brought into all this and get disgusting things said about me. It’s horrific to see these things about yourself and it caused me to have a mini-stroke.’

Mrs Aldridge, who denied messaging one of the girls to apologise for her husband and being overheard telling Aldridge ‘don’t blame her’, added: ‘I would not lie for him. I’ve been destroyed by all of this.’

Dad-of-two Aldridge, of Edmund Road, Southsea, denies 28 counts of sexual activity with the girls.

(Proceeding)