January 2013

A already jailed former London teacher has sentence added to for more sex attacks on children

A sex attacker who preyed on children while working as a music teacher at schools in east London over nearly 30 years has been jailed.

Michael Crombie, 75, of Woodford Green, north London, earlier admitted 47 counts of indecently assaulting children between 1964 and 1993.

The court heard he attacked 16 pupils at Beal Grammar School and Wanstead High School where he was a teacher.

Crombie was jailed for three years at the Old Bailey.

He also admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child between 2005 and 2007.

But Crombie denied two counts of rape and a further 26 counts of indecent assault which were ordered to lie on file.

He is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court in 2010 for inappropriately touching nine students between 1993 and 2001.

‘Turmoil of abuse’

The seven-year jail term was reduced to five on appeal and he was due to be released in May 2013.

Judge Wendy Joseph criticised the school authorities for not taking complaints about Crombie seriously.

Judge Joseph said: “It is clear complaints were made to the school by a number of the girls on a number of occasions but no one took adequate steps to stop this defendant preying on these girls.”

The offending came to the attention of police after they began investigating Crombie when he retired and started molesting students he was giving private lessons to.

Judge Joseph jailed him for a further three years, saying she had to use sentencing guidelines in operation at the time.

She had read nine impact statements and a common element was that Crombie “took over their lives and effectively seduced what were innocent and trusting girls”.

December 2012

Water fetish pervert admits molesting another 16 young children

A music teacher who is serving a prison sentence for sexually abusing schoolgirls to satisfy his bizarre ‘water fetish’ confessed to molesting another 16 victims today (FRI 21/12/2012).

Michael Crombie admitted 47 counts of indecently assaulting children between 1964 and 1993.

He also admitted at the Old Bailey two counts of sexual activity with a child between 2005 and 2007.

The charges relate to 16 victims at Beal Grammar School and Wanstead High School, where he was a teacher.

Michael Crombie, 75, admitted exploiting his young pupils while teaching at two schools east London and in private lessons at his home between 1964 and 2007.

The choir leader and Rotary Club member was locked up in 2010 after being convicted of indecently assaulting nine girls during the 90s. One of his fetishes was to watch and video his naked victims breathe underwater.

May 2011

Child molester has sentence cut

A PIANO teacher who was jailed for seven years for sexually abusing young girls has had his sentence cut by nearly a third on appeal.

Michael Crombie, 73, was jailed in December last year at Snaresbrook Crown Court for inappropriately touching nine of his students between 1993 and 2001.

The former Wanstead High School teacher, who gave private music lessons at his home in Monkhams Avenue, Woodford Green, persuaded one girl to take off her clothes and submerge herself in his bath while he filmed her.

He was convicted on 26 counts of indecently assaulting girls under the age of 16, seven counts of making indecent images of a child, and one charge of possessing indecent images of a child.

An appeal to the High Court against his conviction was thrown out by judges yesterday but they reduced his sentence from seven years to five on health grounds.He will be eligible to apply for parole in August next year.

DECEMBER 2010

Woodford Green music teacher ‘assaulted his pupils’, court told

A MUSIC teacher who submerged a pupil in a bath to satisfy his fetish for watchinggirls breathe underwater has been jailed for seven years.

The youngster 73-year-old Michael Crombie, of Monkhams Avenue, Woodford Green, ducked in his bathtub was one of nine schoolgirls he molested during private “music lessons”.

The choir leader made eight films of his perverted exploits including a “highlights tape” of the naked girl struggling for air as he holds her down.

Crombie encouraged the young recorder player, who was aged between 10 and 12 at the time, to perform the bizarre practice known as aquaphilia by posing as a woman journalist from a music magazine.

Jailing Crombie at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, judge Inigo Bing said: “I agree with the observations of the author of the pre-sentence report that you have an underlying interest in young pre and post-pubertal female children, allied with your fetish of aquaphilia.

“The offences were further aggravated by the fact that you filmed the offences taking place.

“Your principal victim has to live with the indignity and hurt of knowing that for months and years afterwards you got sexual satisfaction from watching her naked in your bath and you assaulting her.”

He added: “All your victims gave their accounts with composure and all were courageous in coming forward and reporting your activities.”

Crombie, who was convicted last month of 26 counts of indecent assault, seven counts of making indecent images of a child and possessing indecent images of a child, was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and obey a sexual offences prevention order, banning him from unsupervised contact with children.

Judge Bing also ruled Crombie had “considerable assets” and ordered a recovery of defence costs of £30,000.