Retired teacher charged with historic sex offences against pupils
A former teacher is to appear in court on charges of sexual offences against pupils at two boarding schools where he worked in West Sussex and Wiltshire between 1965 and 1985, Sussex Police has confirmed.
Posted on 16 December 2020
Piers Le Cheminant, 75, of Newton Abbot, Devon, will appear before Worthing magistrates on 2 February, 2021.
Le Cheminant, now retired, faces charges that between 1960 and 1980 he indecently assaulted 10 boys at Oakwood Preparatory School, Chichester and that between 1981 and 1985 he sexually assaulted five boys at Salisbury Cathedral School.
The prosecution has been authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service. It follows an investigation begun by detectives from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit after information about alleged abuse was received for the first time in 2017.
Officers worked in co-operation with colleagues from Wiltshire Police, say Sussex Police.
The allegations have no connection with any current or recent staff, management or pupils at the schools, it is stressed.
The charges relate to a period that ended more than 35 years ago, and current management at both schools have given full co-operation throughout the investigation.
Leigh Day abuse law team is led by Alison Millar who has many years’ experience of handling cases of alleged abuse in a school setting.
Alison Millar
Alison Millar works in the human rights department at Leigh Day, where she is the head of abuse claims
Abuse and exploitation claims
Acting on behalf of those who have suffered abuse