The director of music at one of Britain’s leading grammar schools began an affair with a 17-year-old sixth-former after telling her that he loved her, a court heard yesterday.
Darren Caudle-Wood, 37, is accused of having abused his position of trust at Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, by seducing the teenager.
Gloucester Crown Court heard that Mr Caudle-Wood, who is married, became infatuated with the girl.
The affair began with hugs and kisses but developed into a sexual relationship after Mr Caudle-Wood borrowed a friend’s house and invited the girl for a candle-lit dinner.
The prosecution says that Mr Caudle-Wood not only knew that his actions were wrong, but that he tried to cover his tracks by making it appear that the girl was infatuated with him.
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It is alleged that, while carrying on the affair, he showed other teachers text messages from the girl, claiming them as evidence that she was harassing him.
Yesterday Mr Caudle-Wood denied seven charges of having sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.
Giles Nelson, for the prosecution, said that Mr Caudle-Wood first kissed the girl when he “could no longer restrain himself”, on her first day back at school as an upper sixth student in September 2004.
He called her into the music room, “touched her intimately” and kissed her, it was said.
A few days later he again called her into the music practice room, where he allegedly put his arms around her and kissed her again.
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By the end of November 2004, the court heard, Mr Caudle-Wood had told the victim he loved her and asked her to be his girlfriend. On November 12 he gave her a lift home after rehearsals for the school carol concert and tried to get her to masturbate him, the jury heard.
Mr Nelson told the court that Mr Caudle-Wood twice took her to a friend’s house.
“He picked the girl up at a prearranged address and introduced her to his friend as Martine. A romantic scene had been set. The defendant undressed and took the girl’s hand and she masturbated him.”
The affair continued, and in April 2005 the couple had sexual intercourse, although by then the girl had turned 18 and it was no longer an offence.
The court heard that the girl told another teacher of the affair in June last year. Mr Caudle-Wood was arrested in October 2005 but claimed he had done nothing wrong and that it was all the girl’s “fantasy”.
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Giving evidence, the girl, who is now at university, said that Mr Caudle-Wood pursued her over a “long period of time”. She continued: “He pursued me for most of my lower-sixth year before anything happened. It all started because he used to stay behind after music lesson and invite me into his office for chats.”
The trial continues.