Former Shrewsbury School chaplain charged with 11 child sex offences

Gary Dobbie is charged along with three other men, who are all former teachers at Christ's Hospital School in Horsham, with non-recent sexual offences.

The Crown Prosecution Service took the decision earlier this week to charge the men who are alleged to have committed the offences on pupils at the school between 1980 and 1996. They were arrested in 2016 following a police investigation.

Dobbie, 66, formerly of Shrewsbury and now of Albi, France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against three boys and three counts of indecent assault against two girls. He had been chaplain at Shrewsbury School for a number of years. There is no suggestion of any offences taking place at the exclusive Shropshire private school.

James Andrew Husband, 67, of Wigginton Road, York, is charged with five counts of indecent assault against a girl and four counts of rape.

Ajaz Karim, 62, of Baron's Court Road, London, is charged with nine counts of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six girls and Peter Webb, 74, of Authon-Edeon, France, is charged with six counts of indecent assault of three boys.

The charges relate to a total of 15 complainants.

The men have all been released on bail to appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on August 9.

In a statement Shrewsbury School said: "Shrewsbury School has been informed that a former employee has been charged in connection with historic allegations relating to his time at a previous school.

"He was suspended from Shrewsbury School at the time of his arrest in January 2016, in accordance with the school’s disciplinary, safeguarding and child protection policies. He has not been in Shrewsbury’s School’s employment since July 2016.

"As far as we are aware these charges are in no way connected to Shrewsbury School.

"Shrewsbury School takes all matters of safeguarding and child protection seriously. Its policies and procedures were recently inspected by The Independent Schools' Inspectorate and found to be outstanding and fully compliant."

Shrewsbury School's headmaster Mark Turner added: “I am deeply saddened to hear of these matters and extend every sympathy to those who have been victims of abuse in whatever context.

"We will continue to do all that we can to ensure that boarding schools are the safest possible environment to allow young men and women to thrive.”