Jeremy Forrest 'Feared Schoolgirl Was Suicidal'

A teacher accused of abducting a schoolgirl and taking her to France only accompanied her abroad because he feared she may kill herself, a court has heard.

Jeremy Forrest's defence lawyer told the jury at his trial that the pupil involved was "very desperate, had suicidal thoughts and she was assertive".

Lewes Crown Court was also told the 30-year-old, who denies a charge of child abduction, will not be giving evidence during his trial.

The jury previously heard that the pupil was 15 years old when she began a sexual relationship with Forrest after developing a crush on him at Bishop Bell CofE School in Eastbourne, Sussex.

Fearing they were about to be exposed, Forrest booked them on a cross-Channel ferry from Dover to Calais last September before spending a week on the run in France.

Defence lawyer Ronald Jaffa told the jury the scenario Forrest feared was a a "realistic situation" and that the defendant had acted to ensure her well-being.

He said it was not a case of Romeo and Juliet

"In that play the lovers died in the end, a pair of star-crossed lovers is the way Shakespeare put it," he said.

"Fortunately Jeremy chose to go to see her and go with her, what could have happened if he had not?

"What would it matter if she had money or not, she could have hitch-hiked, she could have ended up in a city alone, desperate, suicidal. She was very desperate, she had suicidal thoughts and she was assertive.

"If he had not taken her, the alternative consequences were likely to be much worse.

"If he had taken her back to her mother or the police, no-one would be able to stop her, it may indeed have been the catalyst for worse consequences."

Forrest broke down in tears as a witness statements praising him were read out in court .

Benedict Beaumont, a former ICT teacher at Bishop Bell School, said: "Jeremy was one of the most gifted teachers that I have ever met.

"In my opinion, one of the reasons that he was such a good teacher was that he cared deeply about the welfare of all his pupils.

"He was popular with pupils and staff at the school, but more importantly was respected by everyone as a talented and conscientious teacher.

"He is still relatively young but had a very bright future in teaching ahead of him."

Forrest continued crying as a statement from his sister, Carrie Hanspaul, said she believed his caring nature had got him into trouble.

"Jeremy has always been the quietest of us all," her statement said.

"He is very good natured and extremely mild-mannered. He never has a bad word to say about anyone and always strives to do whatever he can to help other people and care for them.

"Unfortunately I believe this has contributed to his recent actions. Jeremy has been in a very difficult relationship for the last six years but did not want to worry any of his family, especially our parents, with his problems.

"Instead he withdrew more and more and tried to deal with the issues himself. I believe he became more and more depressed."

A statement provided by his best friend, Dale Ives Routlett, said Forrest had "always been a thinker, not a person who made rash decisions without taking consequences into account".

Summing up the prosecution case, Richard Barton told the jury Forrest could be considered as a "paedophile" who had "groomed" the schoolgirl.

"You do not have to decide whether he was a paedophile; you may consider, in the context of what he did, that is not an inappropriate label for him," he said.

"It is about his desires to have that young sexual flesh, to satisfy his own carnal lusts. You may feel it had nothing to do with her, it was to do with him, with his desires.

"You may feel he is a man who is flattered by the attention of very young, vulnerable girls.

"There is a word for it. It's called grooming - being caring, being kind, being close, gaining confidence, gaining the trust of that person and then you can do what you want to do with them."

Mr Barton also said it was not a case of Romeo and Juliet as they would have to have been "equal" partners in what happened. He said in this case it was Forrest who organised the elopement.

"A teenager isn't going to get out of Eastbourne, let alone out of the country," he said.

Then, directing his speech at Forrest, he said: "How did you feel, Mr Forrest, that first time with that 14-year-old girl in the classroom in her school uniform, when you kissed her the first time?"

Judge Lawson adjourned the case until tomorrow when he will sum up the case before sending the jury out to consider its verdict.

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