A retired English teacher and school rugby coach at what was once a prestigious preparatory school has been jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing 19 pupils.

Peter Andrew Holmes, aged 73, was sentenced for 28 offences committed at the former Malsis School in the Craven district of North Yorkshire between the 1970s and 1990s.

The jury found him guilty of abusing young victims which included multiple counts of indecent assaults and indecency with a child.

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The jury could not decide on five charges – two counts of buggery and three of indecent assault.

The complainant involved decided not to pursue a retrial.

Holmes, of King Street, Bristol, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court last week following a six-week trial in April and May this year.

 As well as going to prison, Holmes has also been placed on the Register of Sex Offenders and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the rest of his life.

Detective Constable Alison Morris, who led the investigation, said: “It has been proved that Peter Andrew Holmes is a systematic child abuser who used his position of authority as a teacher to prey on the victims who have bravely pursued justice against him.

“His reign of abuse at Malsis School spanned three decades.

“He has caused an enormous amount of trauma for the victims which they have endured from childhood through to the present day.”

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Malsis School was based at Malsis Hall and was an independent preparatory school until its closure in 2014, due to falling numbers.

North Yorkshire Police investigated other complaints of sexual abuse at the former school, including the recent conviction of 74-year-old music teacher David John Hope who is now serving a 17-year prison sentence for raping a boy in the 1980s.

Complaints against Peter Andrew Holmes also came to light in the 1990s, but he had moved to Taiwan shortly after he left Malsis Hall, and the investigation could not be pursued at that time.

Fresh complaints were made about him in late 2018 which enabled the whole investigation to be reopened by the force’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team.

The painstaking inquiry has involved numerous interviews with the victims with each being offered the professional support and care available to everyone who has suffered sexual abuse.

She took dozens of witness statements from former pupils and staff connected to the school.

DC Morris managed to track Holmes down to his new home in Bristol where she interviewed him for the first time in connection with the complaints.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the string of charges against Holmes and he failed to appear at the initial court hearing in Bristol.

He was arrested by Avon and Somerset Police for failing to appear at court.

The case was then moved to Skipton Magistrates’ Court on January 15, 2021, where Holmes pleaded not guilty, and it was sent to trial at Bradford Crown Court.

DC Morris said: “I truly hope the conclusion of this case, with Holmes finally brought to justice and serving a significant prison sentence, they can begin to look to a future with hope and happiness in their lives.”

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