Primary school teacher would ‘moan’ as he touched female pupils, court hears

Published

5 years ago

April 15, 2021

A HAVERFORDWEST primary school teacher would “moan” while he touched his female pupils in a sexual way, a witness said in Swansea Crown Court.

In total, 11 former pupils, who were all under 13, have come forward and accused James Oulton, 34, of sexually assaulting them.

Oulton denies all the charges – saying the case was a “witch-hunt” and that he had behaved appropriately all times.

One of the pupils, who was in year four at the time, opened day four of the trial by giving evidence via a video link.

The girl told the court: “He would put his arm around by back and backside.”

Under cross examination Chris Clee QC, for the defence, asked the witness: “Did you tell the police that you were touched in an inappropriate way?”

The witness answered: “Yes, teachers should not be touching in that way.”

Asked if what he was doing wrong, the witness replied:

“Yes, very wrong”

In cross examination letters and cards were produced, made by the witness whilst in school, where she had said Mr. James Oulton was “the best teacher in the whole world.”

One of the cards said: “You’ve made my life complete”.

Another card said: “Thank you for being so nice, and thanks for everything that you’ve done for me.”

The witness added: “Despite what he did do, he was a good teacher.

“He used to buy us treats.

“He was nice caring and a sweet and fun teacher – but not what he was doing.

Referring to the cards, she said: “I would definitely not be saying that stuff now.”

Explaining how she told her parents the witness said: “Once I realised that [x] was in his class, I asked her ‘did he do this stuff to you?’

“She said yes.

“I realised more and more it was wrong and it was time to grow up now, and to speak.

“As soon as I found out that this was happening to [x] I stood up and told my parents.

Asked if she had seen inappropriate behaviour happening to anybody else the witness answered: “He did it to most of the girls in the class, but he had his favourites.

Asked if she had spoken to other girls about the touching, the witness said: “Yes, I was just curious was it just me, or was it normal?”

“Teachers should most definitely not be doing that to students.

“Doing what?”, the witness was asked, “You said in your police interview that he would pull you off your chair and make you sit on his lap, is that true?”

“Yes,” was the reply.

“Did you try and stop him?” she was asked.

“Yes, I tried to push him off sometimes and said, ‘get off its weird’, but I didn’t want to make a scene.

“He would make me sit on his lap whilst he was marking my work.”

When asked by the defence barrister how she was sat on her teacher’s lap, and if it was under a desk, the witness answered: “No, not under the desk, as both of our legs wouldn’t fit under.”

The witness also said that when she was sat on the defendant’s knee he would make “a low grunting noise.”

Asked if she had spoken others about this case, the girl said: “Police told my mum and dad that there were very many people involved in the case.

“I thought it was just me and [x] that was going to be at court, I only recently discovered that others had come out.”

A second female pupil was also giving evidence via video link. She was 9-years-old at the time of the alleged offending.

Firstly, a pre-recorded interview was played in court in which the witness said: “My teacher, Mr. Oulton always put his hand up my leg like that and up my t-shirt.”

She added: “If he calls you over and he pulls you onto his lap, if you don’t, he pulls your chair over and makes you.”

“How would he make you?” the QC asked.

“He would grab your arm, push you, and then pull you in”, she replied.

When asked if this was a one off, the witness said that the defendant “did it every day.”

“How would you be sat on his lap?”, she was asked.

“He would have one arm on my stomach, then the other arm would be rubbing my leg.”

“He would swap arms and then put one arm up my t-shirt.”

When asked to clarify if it was under her t-shirt the girl explained: “Yes it was under my t-shirt rubbing his hands up and down.”

The witness added: “If I tried to get up for work, he would just grab my arm.”

“He would make a funny sound like a hissing airplane.”

“We had a helper in the class, and when he came in, he would stop, and then I could go and sit down.”

The trial continues.

Davies and Morgan clash over policing powers and terror response in Senedd exchange

Published

5 minutes ago

February 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

CONSERVATIVE MS says breaking up UK would ‘benefit criminals’ as First Minister insists Wales would still rely on cross-border co-operation

A ROW over whether policing powers should be devolved to Wales spilled onto the Senedd floor as a senior Conservative warned that separating from UK-wide structures could leave the country exposed to terrorism and serious crime.

During questions to the First Minister in Senedd Cymru, Andrew RT Davies pressed ministers on whether law and order is better delivered from Westminster rather than Cardiff Bay.

Opening the exchange, Mr Davies said that although he and the Welsh Government disagreed on where policing powers should sit, they should both accept that dismantling the United Kingdom would weaken security.

He told the chamber that if “separatists had their way and they broke up the United Kingdom, policing would be fundamentally weakened in these islands and the criminals will benefit from it”.

He asked the First Minister to agree that the UK provides the strongest framework for keeping communities safe through joint working between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“The co-operative working and that strong union, working together… protects the citizens of this great country of ours,” he said, urging ministers to reject what he called a “narrow, separatist, independent argument”.

‘Strong devolution in a strong UK’

Responding, Eluned Morgan said her government was not pursuing devolution as a stepping stone to independence.

“We want to see strong devolution in a strong UK,” she said, adding that Labour remained committed to improving services rather than chasing constitutional change for its own sake.

She argued that reforming how policing is governed in Wales could improve accountability and outcomes for the public, particularly as discussions continue over replacing the current police and crime commissioner model.

“We want to see change when it comes to policing… because we want to see better provision for the people in Wales,” she told MSs.

Terrorism expertise ‘not something you could replicate’

However, the First Minister acknowledged that certain specialist capabilities, particularly counter-terrorism, would still require close links with the rest of the UK.

“It of course makes sense for us to co-operate across the border when it comes to policing, when it makes sense,” she said.

“Just think about terrorism; we’ll never have the kind of absolute expertise in terrorism that you may get in a place like London. We would have to work with them and depend on them—not something you could do in an independent Wales.”

Her comments prompted Mr Davies to argue that this reliance showed why policing should remain reserved to Westminster.

He later said the admission demonstrated “the dangers of putting the Senedd in charge of policing”, claiming Wales could end up dependent on external support during major incidents.

Long-running debate

Policing and criminal justice are among the few major public services not currently devolved to Wales, with responsibility resting with the UK Government.

Supporters of devolution, including Plaid Cymru, argue that Welsh control would allow policies better tailored to local needs.

Opponents say fragmenting the system could weaken intelligence sharing and increase costs, particularly for specialist units tackling organised crime and terrorism.

The exchange underlines how the issue remains a political dividing line in Cardiff Bay, with both sides framing the argument around public safety rather than constitutional theory.

For now, any change would require agreement from Westminster, meaning the debate is likely to continue long before any powers formally shift.

Crime

Pembroke Dock woman admits breaching community order

Published

28 minutes ago

February 3, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Magistrates revoke sentence after missed appointments

A PEMBROKE DOCK woman has admitted breaching the terms of a community order.

Shannon Charge, aged 30, of Pater Court, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Feb 2).

She admitted failing to attend a scheduled probation appointment and a drug dependency appointment.

Magistrates revoked the existing community order and ordered her to pay £60 in court costs.

The court heard the order related to earlier offences, for which she had been made subject to rehabilitation and drug treatment requirements. A further review hearing is listed for March 2.