THE head of music at a prestigious private school has been suspended following allegations he sexually assaulted a pupil three decades ago.

Sean Ambrose Farrell, 49, denied two charges of indecent assault and two charges of gross indecency when he appeared before York magistrates last week.

All four offences are alleged to have been committed against a child aged under 14 at the time at Ampleforth College’s junior school.

Farrell, of Riddings Road, Ilkley, was released on bail on condition that he has no unsupervised contact with children aged under 16.

He has been removed from his post at Wellington College, in Berkshire - which counts the late actor Sir Christopher Lee and Will Young among its alumni - several months ago after North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation.

A Wellington College spokesman said: “In line with our safeguarding procedures, Wellington suspended the member of staff concerned and excluded him from the school site as soon as it was made aware that the police were investigating these accusations.”