Headteacher Guilty Of Indecent Assault On Boys

A headteacher once celebrated for her "visionary" leadership has been found guilty of indecent assault against two teenage boys.

Anne Lakey had sex with the schoolchildren, aged 13 and 15, over a three-year-period in the 1980s - and one victim has described her as a "disgusting sexual monster".

The 55-year-old's glittering career, which saw her become a national leader in education, came to an abrupt halt in 2012 after her youngest victim wrote an accusatory email to her school - outlining the abuse that he and the second child had suffered 25 years earlier.

Now a father himself, he said he was "sickened" by Lakey's claims that she always put the interests of young people first.

His email led to her suspension as the chief executive of the Durham Federation of Schools - but as police began to investigate, Lakey called the victim and tried to persuade him to lie to detectives.

The complainant recalled: "The delivery was like A Level psychology 101. There was the initial 'my poor father, lost my mother' - a trump card to play.

"There was 'my career, my daughter, my husband. I've definitely not had sex with any other children since' was mentioned early on.

"It was laid on thick, emotionally at the start, towards the end there was flattery alongside that."

The victim had described how Lakey took his virginity when he was 13 - and he told police how they repeatedly had sex in her marital bed.

At one point, the teenager had to hide in a cupboard when they almost caught in bed together.

When he had tried to break off their relations, the pupil had to force his way out of Lakey's home.

Detective Inspector Aelf Sampson, of Durham Police, said: "These men were children at the time, and became vulnerable victims of sexual abuse at the hands of a woman who had some power and responsibility for them.

"She was someone who was respected and seen as successful by the community. These boys should have been safe in her company, instead of being damaged by their experience.

"Regardless of whether these boys appear to have been willing participants in the offences, they could not consent by law to what happened. The law is there to protect victims."

Lakey, a mother-of-one who married three times, has been bailed until her sentencing tomorrow at Teesside Crown Court as an "act of mercy" by Judge Howard Crowson.