A teacher has been convicted of historic child sexual abuse, over a decade since he was cleared of sexually touching three young children.
Neil Francis, 46, was found guilty of 19 counts of sexual assault and eight counts of indecent assault following a court trial.
Francis, formerly of East Cowton, sexually and indecently assaulted 11 female students while working as a teacher in Milton Keynes during the 2000s.
Teesside Live reports that in June 2009, Francis walked free from Teesside Crown Court after a jury took just 45 minutes to unanimously acquit him of eight counts of sexual assault.
The defendant had been accused of touching three girls under the age of 13 in a sexual way, stroking or rubbing their arms, legs, backs or hair.
However eight years after that verdict, fresh offences were reported to Thames Valley Police. Officers then charged Francis in February 2021.
Detective Constable Michele Weston, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, based at Milton Keynes police station, said: "This investigation has taken four years to complete and involved the tenacity of several police officers and members of staff.
"This was a case where a teacher, who was in a position of trust, sexually abused 11 of his female pupils. I have nothing but admiration for each and every one of those victims who took the time to come to court and tell the awful tale of what happened to them - they should be extremely proud of themselves.
"I hope now that the victims can start to rebuild their lives with an assurance that they have played their part in protecting other vulnerable females from this defendant."
The jury also found Francis not guilty of one count of sexual assault and were discharged on two other counts of sexual assault, which will lie on file.
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