Celebrated teacher abused boys over four decades

A former music teacher who worked on film and TV projects has been jailed for 12 years for dozens of sexual offences involving children over more than 40 years.

David Pickthall, who was appointed an MBE in 2015 for services to education and charity, worked as a teacher at Brentwood School in Essex and as a choirmaster in the London Borough of Havering when some of his offending happened.

The 66-year-old, of Ingrave Road, Brentwood, had admitted 29 counts of sexual offences against 19 people at an earlier Chelmsford Crown Court hearing.

In sentencing, Judge Mary Loram KC said: "For over two decades you took advantage of your position to abuse boys in your care."

Throughout his career Pickthall worked in TV and film, conducting music on Tracy Beaker: The Movie of Me in 2004 and supervising the music for Julian Fellowes' A Most Mysterious Murder in 2005. He also worked as the musical arranger for Channel Four's The Paul O'Grady Show.

The court heard the offences took place between 1980 and 2021 in Brentwood, Essex, and Upminster in east London.

Prosecutor Fiona Ryan said Pickthall had admitted a "range of predatory sexual offences, primarily committed against students and former students of his at Brentwood School".

She said "he had a penchant for touching and spying on young adolescent boys and his desires were easily satisfied because of the positions he held".

Pickthall, ahead of his sentencing, had addressed a letter to the judge outlining his remorse for this actions.

In it, he said: "I am deeply sorry and ashamed of my charges. I recognise my actions were offensive and immoral. I wish I had behaved differently."

Judge Loram told Pickthall: "If you hadn't been arrested you would have carried on. This is decades of abuse... that is who you are."

Some of Pickthall's victims were in court to watch him be sentenced to 12 years with a four year extended licence period.

Before beginning her sentencing remarks, Judge Loram said "there can be no sentence that will ever adequately reflect [the victims'] experiences".

She added: "It's not a quantification of their distress."

Survivors of Pickthall's abuse read out their impact statements, in which many said their childhood had been tainted by his actions.

One said the former choirmaster had been a "pillar of the music community in Brentwood", then added: "We are disgusted in you."

After the sentencing, Det Con Det Con Chelsie Stamford of Essex Police said: "His actions indicate he believed he could offend with impunity and would never be caught.

"However thanks to the courage of the 19 men involved in this investigation, he has been proved wrong.

"And he is now where he belongs - behind bars."