The news that a 91-year old former PE teacher has been jailed for 9 years for sexually abusing schoolboys raises a number of points:
1. The offences were committed between 1957 and 1978. They included hitting boys with a whalebone and sexually abusing boys after showering.
2. It seems doubtful that the offender will complete his sentence.
3. It also seems clear that rehabilitation plays no part in the sentence, which appears to be retributive and to have some deterrent effect.
4. Those of us unfortunate enough to have passed through the public school system in the late 1950s may well have memories of masters who could face prosecution. Unfortunately, most if not all of them are dead.
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