EXCLUSIVE Primary school teacher who filmed himself sexually abusing girls as young as six will have parole board hearing next year – despite being recalled to prison last time he was released

• Nigel Leat, now 62, was jailed indefinitely in 2011 after admitting 36 offences 

A notorious paedophile teacher who filmed attacks on his primary school victims has a parole hearing and could be released – despite having to be recalled to prison last time he was released.

Described as a ‘predatory paedophile, Nigel Leat captured on camera the attacks he carried out on five young girls over the course of five years at Hillside First School, in Weston-super-Mare. Somerset.

Leat, now aged 62, also known by the surname Russell, was jailed indefinitely in 2011 after admitting 36 offences including attempted rape of a child and sexual assault.

He was released from prison in November 2020 but was recalled to prison in March 2021 for breaching his licence conditions. It is not known what he did to be sent back to jail.

In making its initial decision to give Leat his freedom in 2020, the Parole Board said he was ‘suitable for release’.

Primary school teacher Nigel Leat (pictured in 2011) filmed attacks on his young victims

Police footage of Leat, who was branded a ‘paedophile of the most sickening order’ by the judge who handed him an ‘indefinite sentence’ at Bristol Crown Court in 2011

The panel was told he was not an ‘imminent’ risk in the community and all the witnesses who gave evidence – his probation officer, prison psychologist and prison offender manager – recommended release on licence ‘would be safe at this point.’

READ MORE – Parents whose daughter, 6, was abused by one of Britain’s worst paedophiles who preyed on 40 children at his primary school are furious to hear he will be considered for release next month 

According to a Parole Board document, at the time of his crimes Leat believed it was ‘acceptable to groom and sexually abuse children’ and he was ‘thinking a lot about sex’.

The ‘oral’ hearing in front of a three-person panel will be the second he has had since being recalled to prison. Leat will have to prove he is not a danger to the public to be released again.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said:’We can confirm the parole review of Nigel Leat has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes.

‘Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

‘A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

‘Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.

‘It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.’

The teacher, who had been at Hillside First School for 15 years, was warned over being too ‘tactile’ with girls three years before he was arrested, but no action was taken.

The court was told he would molest the girls as they practised their reading aloud in class, getting them to perform sex acts on him at the same time.

The predatory paedophile ‘sexually abused girls as young as six, filming the abuse on cameras he had put in place for the purpose ‘.

Police revealed that Leat used to identify ‘star pupils’ and shower them with gifts before abusing them in one-to-one reading sessions.

Leat preyed on up to 40 children at his primary school, Hillside First School (pictured)

Leat could be heard in the films referring to the girls as ‘sweetie pie’ and ‘darling’ and asking them how much they loved him.

The videos, in most of which Leat could be seen, showed girls were abused in the school’s staff room and a resource room.

In the films, which were up to 10 minutes long, Leat could be seen touching them, including when they were changing their clothes to go outside.

He also wrote letters to them, asking them to perform sex acts on him.

The father-of-two initially denied all the claims against him, but he confessed after police found the films on his home computer.

After police arrested him on the 13th of December 2010, they discovered about 30,500 indecent photographs and 720 indecent movies in his possession.

Judge Neil Ford QC gave Leat an indeterminate sentence, telling him he would have to serve at least eight and a half years before he could be considered for parole.

He told Leat: ‘Your manipulation of the children was clever, cunning and insidious.’

Passing sentence, Judge Ford told him: ‘I am of the opinion you do represent a serious risk to young girls. These offences were carried out over a long period of time with great regularity.

‘You have the ability to befriend young girls and persuade them to participate in sexual behaviour.

‘You told him (Dr Sandford) you couldn’t stop, you couldn’t think of anything else but to take your camera to school and make films. You described it as an obsession.

‘You were in a position of authority and trust.

‘In order to avoid detection you were careful not to upset the child.

READ MORE – Victims left in fear as ‘paedophile of the most sickening order’ could be released from jail within weeks 

‘You filmed most of your abuse for later gratification.’

Speaking outside court in 2011, Detective Superintendent Geoff Wessell of Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘Nigel Leat is a predatory paedophile of the most sickening order who has preyed on the children of his school and abused them in the most sick way.

She added:’The fact that he has been recalled after just four months of being out of prison speaks volumes to me.

‘I was horrified at the fact he was released at the end of last year in the first place – and the Parole Board were made aware of all of our fears. Now it is evident they are completely justified.

‘If he hasn’t committed another crime then he must have done something that made his probation officer extremely concerned for the public’s safety.

‘It goes without saying, I am glad he hasn’t committed another crime, however the horrendous impact of this man’s crimes has been never-ending for us.’

Tony Oliver, chair of North Somerset Safeguarding Children Board, said in 2012: ‘There was a failure at every level within the school. The fact that these incidents were reported within the school and not acted upon is incredible.’

Oliver said it was grossly negligent that the 30 incidents staff raised concerns about were not reported to education authorities or the police.

He said:’There was an endemic culture of neglect. In terms of safeguarding, parents at the school rightly expected their children would be cared for and kept safe.

‘Procedures were not followed and this prevented the correct action from being taken. Concerns were not followed up and this led to children not being protected from Nigel Leat. This was a gross failure of responsibility.’

The review said that 20 pupils were either abused by Leat or witnessed abuse.

The headteacher of Hillside First School was sacked.

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