NSPCC brands former Ripon Cathedral Choir School teacher a 'sick predator' after child sex abuse conviction

A children's charity has described the sexual abuse of children by a teacher at an old Ripon school as "every parent's worst nightmare".
Ian Atkinson was a deputy headteacher at the now closed Ripon Cathedral Choir School.Ian Atkinson was a deputy headteacher at the now closed Ripon Cathedral Choir School.
Ian Atkinson was a deputy headteacher at the now closed Ripon Cathedral Choir School.

Ian David Charles Atkinson, 59, formerly of Staveley, Ripon, was jailed for 12 years yesterday after being found guilty of nine offences following a six-day trial at Bradford Crown Court.

He had served as a deputy headteacher at the now closed Ripon Cathedral Choir School and was teaching there when some of the offences took place.

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An NSPCC spokesperson said: “This was every parent’s worst nightmare; an awful betrayal of trust in which Atkinson used his position to abuse his young victims for his own twisted gratification.

“The vulnerable boys this sick predator claimed to be helping have had their childhoods ruined and abuse such as this can last a lifetime in its horrifying impact.

“We hope all Atkinson’s victims receive the support they need to overcome their awful childhood ordeals in settings that should have been safe and secure havens.”

Atkinson, now of Brompton on Regis, Somerset, was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

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Robin Eric Davidson, 81, from Worcester, was jailed for two years after admitting four charges of indecent assault on two boys under 14.

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