Ex-teacher's abuse of children left me horrified - but his victims' bravery will stay with me forever

As a journalist who often finds themselves reporting from court, it can be the case that I find myself focused on the negatives in each experience. It's incredibly easy to have tunnel vision and be focused on the actions of those who end up in the dock. It's an experience I'm sure readers probably also struggle with.

This could have been the case when covering the sentencing of former Brentwood School music teacher David Pickthall who over the course of four decades abused more than a dozen young people. His predatory behaviour saw him prey on vulnerable people, many of whom felt isolated and were struggling to fit in.

But the trigger for his reputational downfall was pressed in 2021 when a brave survivor of his abuse came forward and reported it to Essex Police. The force's Quest team - who are trained to investigate historic child sexual abuse - sparked a large probe and a picture was painted that reflected the experiences of the many survivors that Pickthall had exploited over 41 years.

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The lengths of manipulation and abuse that Pickthall carried out was truly staggering. But at the same time I left the sentencing incredibly amazed by the sheer bravery by each of the survivors who came forward to hold the former teacher to account and ensure he faced justice.

"I decided to go to the police because I’m a dad and I felt I needed to do everything I could to protect my child," one survivor said. "I’d seen other high-profile cases of abuse and that gave me confidence that I would be listened to."

Pickthall was a talented musician whose accomplished CV included working on films such as Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers - his reputation represented a brick wall that many of his victims felt was insurmountable and as though they would not be listened to, whilst the now-disgraced teacher could feel untouchable.

Pickthall sat glaring at the Judge throughout most of the hearing. But his seemingly impenetrable reputation surely must have taken a hit when the public gallery, filled with his victims and their supporters, laughed at him when the Judge admitted to reading a letter from him "with some amazement".

Many of the survivors of abuse confronted Pickthall with powerful statements detailing the significant impact of his criminal actions. Some members of the public gallery wiped their eyes with tissues, clearly impacted by what they were hearing from others. There was talk of people's mental health being significantly impacted as well as psychological effects with some no longer going through life assuming people have good intentions.

The experiences these people went through at the hands of Pickthall will remain with them for many, many years. I hope that seeing him put behind bars for a long time will allow them to find closure.

A worrying side of this case is that detectives believe there could still be other survivors who were abused by Pickthall. But the bravery of those who came forward and ensured he faced justice and received a lengthy prison sentence will hopefully act as an encouragement to anyone else that might have been impacted. You will be listened to. You will be believed. You can seek justice.

Little else needs to be said aside from the words of one of the survivors. They said: "If by reading this statement and hearing my experience just one more person comes forward then it’s worth it. Until you do come forwards you will always carry this baggage around with you. Even though it’s a difficult process to go through, once you’ve got rid of that baggage life will be so much better."