Former teacher from Solihull jailed for historical sex assaults on girls

A former school teacher has been jailed after admitting a string of historical sexual assaults on young girls between 1984 and 2005.

The crimes came to light in January 2020 when a solicitor contacted West Midlands Police to say a 51-year-old man wanted to disclose the offences he had committed.

Peter Jenkins, from Solihull, was questioned by officers from the Public Protection Unit and an investigation began to trace the women he claimed to have abused as young girls. His interest in underage girls started in his teens and continued into his 20s when he got married, but this didn’t stop his offending. An investigations uncovered four victims who fell prey to his grooming and sexual intentions.

One of his victims was a 12-year-old girl Jenkins befriended while he was at university and another was abused when he became a school teacher.

As a married man, he ran a church holiday club with his wife, where a teenage helper became a babysitter for the couple and following years of grooming he began abusing her when she was 16.

What did West Midlands Police say?

Investigating officer DC Gemma Rowan explained: “We always treat cases with the utmost sensitivity but this was especially true with this investigation as we had to contact the women who Jenkins’ had identified, out of the blue.

“Our initial enquiries were largely carried out during the pandemic, when many people were already feeling isolated and vulnerable, so our specialist officers were at pains to ensure the women were supported and guided through the process as carefully and considerately as possible. We felt it was important that the women who had been subjected to Jenkins’ abuse were given the opportunity to come forward and talk about their experiences.

“It is testimony to the strength and power of these women that they supported this successful prosecution and have now been able to see Jenkins locked up for many years.”

DC Rowan continued: “We know that Jenkins groomed these girls at a time in their lives where personal circumstances made them vulnerable and he used his position of power and trust to abuse them. The effects of this type of behaviour have long lasting and scarring effects. We do not underestimate how traumatic this can be.

“We work with a range of other agencies who can support victims of sexual abuse, no matter how long ago it happened.”

Jenkins, also known as Peter Greenham, now aged 53 from Solihull, pleaded guilty to 15 charges including rape, indecent assault, sexual assault, unlawful sexual intercourse and inciting a girl to commit an act of gross indecency at Warwick Crown Court on 27 July.

He was sentenced on Friday (12 August) to a 13-year jail term. Jenkins will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

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