News
Primary school teacher would ‘moan’ as he touched female pupils, court hears
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.
News
Man remanded in custody following alleged assault in town centre
A PEMBROKE man has been remanded in custody following an alleged assault against a woman in Pembroke town centre last Thursday.
Morgan Ralph, 38, is accused of assaulting a female, occasioning her actual bodily harm during the alleged altercation on March 14.
Ralph, who appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday morning via a video link from Swansea Prison, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
His solicitor Tom Lloyd, informed magistrates that Ralph was acting in self defence during the alleged incident.
The matter was adjourned to May 23 when Ralph, of St Oswalds, Main Street, Pembroke, will be tried before Haverfordwest magistrates.
He was remanded in custody.
News
Retaining wall collapse in Haverfordwest crushes van
A RETAINING wall at Spring Gardens Lane, behind the site of the former Pembroke House Hotel in Haverfordwest, has collapsed following a period of heavy rainfall, causing damage to vehicles parked in the vicinity.
The incident has left two vans damaged, one severely.
The collapse of the wall sent debris sprawling across the car park, illustrating the force of the collapse and the substantial volume of water contributing to the structural failure.
Witnesses described hearing a loud rumbling noise before discovering the aftermath of the collapse.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
The collapse serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by heavy rainfall and the importance of maintaining and monitoring ageing infrastructure.
Business
People in Wales are worried about running out of money in retirement
FEAR of running out of money in retirement is rising among those in Wales with more than half (55%) concerned their savings will not last them through retirement, new research from Investec Wealth & Investment (UK) shows (please see the attached press release).
In general, women are more worried about running out of money compared to men. More than half (54%) of women surveyed are concerned about how long their money will last in retirement, compared to only 44% of men. Around 46% of men who are not worried about running out of money in retirement say it is because they have a final salary pension scheme – compared to just 38% of women who have this.
The study by Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), part of Rathbones Group, among people with stock market investments including pensions, paints a bleak picture – around 55% of those living in Wales are concerned they do not have enough money for retirement. This is similar to the UK average of 56%.
Women are more worried than men that they do not have enough money for retirement. Almost two thirds (61%) of women surveyed are concerned, with 18% of these very concerned they do not have enough money for retirement. This compares to just over half (53%) of men surveyed, with 14% of these very concerned they do not have enough money for retirement.
The Investec Wealth & Investment (UK) study shows that those living in Wales who have yet to retire are realistic about what will happen to their incomes in retirement – 64% expect their monthly incomes to drop on retirement and 36% did not know.
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