Former teacher jailed for sex offences against young girls after handing himself in 36 years later

A former teacher has been jailed for a number of historical sex offences against young girls after he handed himself in 36 years later.

Peter Jenkins, 53, handed himself into police in 2020 to tell them he had groomed schoolgirls before subjecting them to sexual assaults between 1984 and 2005.

One of his victims was a 12-year-old girl who Jenkins met when he was at university and another was abused when he became a teacher.

Jenkins, also known as Peter Greenham, from Solihull, West Midlands, was sentenced last Friday at Warwick Crown Court to 13 years in prison.

He pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including rape, indecent assault, sexual assault, unlawful sexual intercourse and inciting a girl to commit an act of gross indecency.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Jenkins abused a 16-year-old girl who had been a helper at the church holiday club he ran with his wife and was a babysitter for the couple.

The court heard Jenkins' offences took place over the course of 21 years. In a statement, West Midlands Police said his interest in underage girls started in his teens and continued into his 20s when he got married.

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His crimes came to light in January 2020 when a solicitor contacted West Midlands Police to say their client wanted to disclose offences he had committed.

Detectives began to try and trace the women Jenkins claimed to have abused when they were young girls, identifying and then contacting four victims.

Detective Constable Gemma Rowan, of West Midlands Police, said: "We always treat cases with the utmost sensitivity but this was especially true with this investigation as we had to contact the women who Jenkins had identified out of the blue.

"Our initial enquiries were largely carried out during the pandemic, when many people were already feeling isolated and vulnerable, so our specialist officers were at pains to ensure the women were supported and guided through the process as carefully and considerately as possible.

"We felt it was important that the women who had been subjected to Jenkins' abuse were given the opportunity to come forward and talk about their experiences.

"It is testimony to the strength and power of these women that they supported this successful prosecution and have now been able to see Jenkins locked up for many years.

“We know that Jenkins groomed these girls at a time in their lives where personal circumstances made them vulnerable and he used his position of power and trust to abuse them.

“The effects of this type of behaviour have long lasting and scarring effects. We do not underestimate how traumatic this can be.

“We work with a range of other agencies who can support victims of sexual abuse, no matter how long ago it happened.”