A science teacher from Bexleyheath is on trial accused of repeatedly raping a schoolgirl in a storeroom at her school in Newham, a court has heard.
Darlington Nuwertey, 32, of Hanover Way, is standing trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court charged with nine counts of rape and one count of abuse of position of trust, relating to alleged sexual activity with a girl aged 16 or above while he was her teacher.
He denies all of the charges.
Opening the prosecution case, Richard Burrington told jurors that Nuwertey met the girl while teaching at Oasis Academy Silvertown in Newham and “took advantage” of her, exploiting what he described as the “imbalance of power between them in the school setting”.
What the prosecution alleges
Mr Burrington told the jury that Nuwertey “began to show an interest in her” when the girl was in Year 10 and approaching her 16th birthday. He would allegedly ask her to wait behind at the end of lessons, and when they were alone in the classroom he would tell her she was “beautiful” and “mature for her age” — sometimes, the prosecutor said, making remarks of an “overtly sexual nature”.
When the girl moved into Year 11 and was struggling with science, Nuwertey offered her extra help, the court heard. On one occasion, Mr Burrington said, the two of them were alone when he locked the door, pinned her against the wall and began kissing her while groping her breast over her school uniform.
The prosecutor told jurors that Nuwertey was “nearly caught redhanded” when a science technician walked into the classroom. He said the defendant “quickly ran to the front of the class and pretended nothing untoward was going on” — but the technician was suspicious enough to report what she had seen to a more senior member of staff, triggering an internal investigation.
Storeroom allegations
The court heard that Nuwertey allegedly pressured the girl into lying about their contact. Jurors were told he asked her to send him nude pictures on Snapchat, sent her pictures and videos himself, and would message her telling her to meet him after school in the storeroom of another teacher’s classroom.
According to the prosecution, he would lock the storeroom door and raped her there many times.
Mr Burrington told the jury: “He has since denied any sexual activity between him and [the complainant] ever occurred while she was a schoolgirl of Oasis Academy and he was her teacher.”
Allegations after he left the school
Nuwertey later left Oasis Academy to take a job at Bexleyheath Academy. Several months afterwards, the girl alleges, he contacted her again, invited her to his house, and in his living room told her he wanted her to carry his baby, the prosecutor said.
A few months later, it is alleged, he kept pestering her to see him, picked her up, drove her to his house and raped her again. On another occasion, the prosecution says, he picked her up and took her to his house but they stayed in the car — where he again told her he wanted her to carry his baby — before allegedly raping her.
The court heard that the defendant later texted the complainant to say his wife had found out about them, and then blocked her on Snapchat and Telegram.
How the allegations came to light
According to the prosecution, the girl’s father became suspicious when he noticed she was spending money and could not explain where it had come from. He checked her bank account and found money had been paid into it — money the prosecution says was given to her by the defendant.
The complainant then broke down in tears and told her father what she says had been happening, the court heard.
Nuwertey was arrested and gave a prepared statement in which he denied all allegations of sexual activity with a child, denied any sexual contact with the complainant and denied the allegation of rape. He said their relationship had been professional in nature.
The charges explained
Nine counts of rape: each count relates to a separate alleged incident. Rape carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
One count of abuse of position of trust: this charge applies to adults — such as teachers — who engage in sexual activity with a young person aged 16 or 17 to whom they owe a duty of care. It recognises that the power imbalance makes genuine consent impossible in such relationships, even where the young person is over the age of consent.
The defendant has pleaded not guilty to every count. Under the law, he is innocent unless and until the prosecution proves its case beyond reasonable doubt, and nothing reported about the prosecution’s opening amounts to a finding of guilt.
What happens next
The trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court continues, with the prosecution expected to call its witnesses before the defence presents its case. The jury will then be asked to decide whether the prosecution has proved each charge.
Because the complainant in a sexual offences case is entitled to lifelong anonymity, she cannot be identified in any reporting of the trial.
Snaresbrook has seen a string of high-profile cases this year. Earlier this month a doctor was granted £100,000 bail at the Old Bailey ahead of his own trial, while Richard Clayton was handed a life sentence for the murder of his mother in Newham.
