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Teacher is jailed for sex offences
The Independent, Friday 21 January 1994
A schoolteacher was yesterday jailed for five years after he admitted sexually molesting teenage pupils. Mark Kent, 32, of Forest Row, East Sussex, committed a catalogue of offences against boys at Greenfields school in Forest Row, where he worked. Greenfields is a private school which states in its promotional literature that it employs the "educational techniques" of L Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. The school denies that it is an offshoot of the church, but many of the teachers are members of the cult; and the majority of pupils come from Scientology families.
Kent is understood to have been one of the few non-Scientologists on the staff. Judge John Gower, at Hove Crown Court, said: "The boys and parents put their trust in you. You betrayed it for the gratification of your own perverted lust." The court was told how Kent admitted molesting six boys over a seven-year period. Kent, a single man, was found to have a videotape which showed him in sex acts with boys and showed boys showering.
He admitted six charges of indecent assault and one of taking an indecent video. He asked for two similar indecent assault charges to be taken into consideration.
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