Headteacher of Eton College Issues Apology After Former Staff Member Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Pupil

Leland, then 23, carried out the offences while employed at the prestigious all-boys boarding school in Berkshire. He initially assaulted the pupil after inviting him and several friends to his flat, where he provided them with alcohol and cigarettes. Once the others had left, Leland kissed the boy and placed the pupil’s hands on his groin, Reading Crown Court heard. During a later school trip, he committed a further assault by performing oral sex on the pupil.

Leland, of Tufnell Park in north London, was found guilty last year of three counts of sexual assault on a male following a trial at Reading Crown Court.

Eton, England’s largest boarding school, counts among its former pupils Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as 20 former prime ministers, including Boris Johnson.

In a statement, headteacher Simon Henderson, who was not in post at the time of the offences, said the school must acknowledge both that the abuse occurred and that it took years for the full details to emerge.

“As headmaster, I remain appalled that this abuse happened at Eton,” he said. “Leland’s criminal conduct represents the most egregious breach of trust. Those directly affected had the right to be safe and secure in our care. I offer my unreserved apologies to them on behalf of the school.”

During sentencing, Judge Real told Leland that the teacher-student relationship carries a significant responsibility toward pupils, who are entitled to rely on that duty of care. The court heard Leland had been trusted by a housemaster at one of the school’s 25 boarding houses to supervise students and adhere to school rules.

Judge Real said the psychological impact on the victim had been “long-lasting and serious”.

Henderson added that pupil welfare remains the school’s top priority and that safeguarding concerns are handled under established procedures.

The headteacher of Eton College has issued an apology after a former member of staff was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a pupil.

Jacob Leland, 37, who taught Russian at the school, was jailed on Friday for three years and three months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a boy both at his flat and during a school trip in 2012.

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