Former teacher guilty of sex abuse at children's home

A former teacher has been found guilty of committing historical sexual assaults at a children's home in the 1970s.

Roland Simmons worked as a teacher at Guestling House in Hastings, East Sussex, when the offences took place against four victims, who were placed into care at the property.

The 77-year-old was convicted of 10 charges of indecent assault on a male person at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday.

Catherine Wear, senior crown prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Simmons was supposed to be caring for these boys, but instead he abused the trust placed in him, knowing that the boys would struggle to speak out and report what was happening to them."

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Wear said that one of the victims woke up to find Simmons abusing him and the former teacher then claimed that he had been dreaming.

Another victim described Simmons as "persistent" after he first abused him, saying that the former teacher would ask him to go out in his car alone, but he kept refusing, Wear added.

"The trauma of sexual abuse can stop victims from making complaints for many years, but these men had the courage to come forward and report what happened to them and by doing so, have ensured that Simmons has been brought to justice for his appalling crimes," she said.

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