Falconsmere

by Pink Panther

Postscript

Edward `Ted' Price retired in 1981. Some twenty years later, following a police investigation, he was arrested and charged with a number of serious offences. His accusers included boys like Simon Rowe and Christopher Bennett, whom he remembered clearly, along with several others that he could not remember at all.

With his eyesight failing and his quality of life already deteriorating, Mr Price had no wish to face his day in court. Accordingly, he travelled to Beachy Head, one of the highest points on England's south coast. The following day, his shattered body was found on the beach some 500 feet below.

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Following a highly successful career during which he was praised by both parents and fellow professionals, Marcus Johnstone eventually retired in 1993. Rumours about his conduct while working at Falconsmere only began to surface around ten years later. Following another police investigation, he too was arrested and charged.

On reviewing the evidence, Marcus was not surprised to see James Ashcombe among his list of accusers. He'd realised at the time that he'd pushed things too far and that his error of judgement could well come back to bite him. Ashley and Tristan Clarke were there too. That was no surprise either, as during Ashcombe's final year at Falconsmere, Tristan had been his younger friend.

However, he was disappointed to find Matthew Wainwright was also on the list. Reading Matthew's statement, he was horrified to learn of the mental torment that the boy had endured after leaving Falconsmere. He had never intended that to happen. He had not even been aware that it could.

His only consolation was that neither Peter Fox nor Danny Fisher – both very successful, openly gay, and living with their respective partners – had joined in the accusations.

For technical reasons, the matter did not come to court for more than ten years. When it did, following a change in the law (which allowed the account of one witness to be accepted as corroboration of a similar account given by a second witness alleging a separate offence*) on the advice of his solicitor, Marcus pleaded guilty to all charges.

When he was sentenced, his defence barrister argued that he had never intended to hurt anyone, and as he was now in his eighties and quite infirm, a community sentence would be sufficient.

The judge disagreed, ruling that Mr Johnstone's breach of trust had been so egregious that a custodial sentence was his only option. Giving him the usual credit for pleading guilty, he sentenced Marcus to six years imprisonment.

 

*This is known as `corroboration by volume'.