Former headmaster accused of 'having sex with boy he met at Christian group'

A 75-year-old former headmaster is on trial over allegations he had sex with a boy he met through a Christian youth group.

John Coatman, now retired, is in the dock at the Old Bailey charged with buggery and two counts of gross indecency with a 14-year-old boy over a 12-month period in the 1970s.

The allegations cover the time when Coatman was headteacher of St Andrew's Church of England secondary school in Croyden and involved in the Christian group for boys. Prosecutor Corrine Bramwell told the court how "rough and tumble" turned sexual.

She said: "[The complainant] recalls John Coatman asked him whether he's ever ejaculated before, and he spoke to him about sexually transmitted diseases.

"He describes that during the contact both of them were naked and accepts that he was excited by the attention given to him."

Sexual contact took place on four or five occasions, said Bramwell, and escalated to anal sex once.

Coatman, who was given an MBE in 2012, denies the charges.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not report the incident to police until 2014 despite not being "entirely comfortable" with what happened.

He said he had been bullied before joining the Christian group which gave him a "sense of a home" away from family. But he wept as he told an officer in a taped police interview played to the court: "It was my first sexual experience. I think it probably has coloured a lot of my sense of selfworth since then."

The trial continues.

News
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches

Every Christmas, people sing the song “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night”. Unlike many other songs and carols that include elements of non-biblical tradition and myth, this song is pure Scripture. It was the first Christmas song authorised to be sung in the Church of England. This is the story …

The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914
The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914

On Christmas Eve in 1914, many men were in the trenches fighting the war, but the spirit of Christmas halted the conflict for a brief period. This is the story …

Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land
Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land

Jerusalem Church leaders have released a report detailing the struggles and challenges currently faced be Christians living in the Holy Land.

Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?
Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?

For you who have been followers of Jesus Christ for a long time, maybe the pain and suffering of this world and the darkness you have had to live through this past year has gotten you down to the point of complete and utter discouragement. But all is not lost.