Allen Meredith – Housemaster jailed for sex attacks on pupils

A former housemaster at a boarding school for the sons of services personnel, who sexually abused boys in his care, has been jailed for 10 years.

St Albans Crown Court was told that Allen Meredith began his perversions at a school in Surrey and, despite the alarm being raised, moved on to a second school, where his activities continued. At this school, for the sons of members of people serving in the forces, in Hertfordshire, he was given a formal warning about his conduct and, in June 1991, following complaints from four members of staff, he was interviewed by the headmaster and the chairman of the board of governors. However, no action was taken and he still continued to have boys in his room, said Mr Phillip Matthews, prosecuting.

A psychiatrist who said that Meredith had suffered from ”stunted emotional growth” made it plain in a report that his personality is never likely to change and he will never be considered safe in the company of children. Jailing him yesterday, Judge Colin Colston, QC, said: ”Anyone who has heard details of this case cannot be other than horrified and revolted at what happened.” Meredith, 48, of Blakes Avenue, Witney, Oxfordshire pleaded guilty to two charges of buggery, one of attempted buggery, two of indecency with a child, and one of indecent assault. The charges were specimen counts for numerous episodes of sexual assault between March 1983 and January 1994. The five boys involved were aged between 9 and 12.

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