A woman who was raped and groomed by a music teacher in Birmingham in the early 1990s has spoken out after he was convicted decades later. The assault occurred when she was 15 years old, and she met Keith Allen, a supply teacher at her school.
It wasn't until 2022, when she underwent grief counseling, that she was able to confront what had happened. The following year, she made a formal complaint to the police. "I am a mum now and my children are the age that I was then – and that cannot happen to them," she stated, explaining her motivation for coming forward.
She described the difficulty in finding the courage to contact the police, saying it took her a few days to gather her resolve. Detective Constable Andrew Jones of West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team expressed gratitude to the victim for her bravery throughout the investigation and court process.
Allen was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in July. His defense team argued that the offense was committed during a difficult period in his life, citing anxiety. However, His Honour Judge Paul Farrer KC stated during the sentencing that he did not accept Allen's judgment was impaired at the time, noting that he had abused a position of trust. The court heard that Allen's offending remained undiscovered for over three decades, allowing him to continue living in the community.
The court also noted that Allen is currently in poor health, suffering from diabetes, glaucoma, impaired hearing, and has a history of a heart attack, potentially experiencing the onset of Parkinson's disease. For the victim, the guilty verdict was more significant than the sentence itself. "I felt heard, I felt people have listened and they believe me," she said. "It is really validating and it raises your self-esteem a little bit, it means a lot."