A Bexleyheath science teacher accused of raping a schoolgirl allegedly told her that no one would love her like he did, jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court have heard, as a new day of evidence unfolded in the ongoing trial.
Darlington Nuwertey, 32, denies nine counts of rape and one count of being an adult who abused a position of trust by engaging in sexual activity with a girl aged 16 or above. The court has heard that he met the complainant while working as a teacher at Oasis Academy Silvertown in Newham, before later taking up a post at Bexleyheath Academy.
The girl told the court she was 15 and about to turn 16 when she first became aware of Nuwertey’s unwanted attention. On Wednesday, jurors were shown footage of her recorded police interview, in which she described an occasion on which the defendant is accused of raping her at his house.
Asked by the officer what she thought was going to happen when she went to his house, the alleged victim replied: “I think he just told me that he was gonna have sex with me.” She said that on that day he told her that if she got “married or I have a boyfriend and like no one will ever love me like he did”.
The latest testimony follows earlier evidence in the trial that Nuwertey had offered the girl extra science help as a way of spending time alone with her. Jurors had also been told that on one occasion he pinned the girl against a classroom wall and began kissing her while “forcefully grabbing her breasts over her school uniform” — an incident in which he was said to have been “caught red-handed” by another member of staff, who reported what they had seen. Nuwertey is also accused of raping the girl in a storeroom at the school, among the allegations laid out when the trial opened.
The complainant gave evidence on Wednesday afternoon and was questioned about the timeline of events by the defence barrister, Victoria Meads. Ms Meads asked whether she remembered saying in a police interview that she and the teacher had “moved the meeting to the storeroom after school because of what happened when a member of staff walked into the classroom”. The girl replied: “Not really.”
Asked directly whether she was making the storeroom incident up, she answered: “No.”
Ms Meads put it to the teenager that Nuwertey “said you were in a relationship together after he left your school”. The girl said he had “already kissed me before he left the school”. Asked whether she was “lying about that”, she replied: “No.”
The barrister also asked whether the girl had told Nuwertey that she was 18 and that her parents had lied about her age to get her into school, which she denied.
Referring to one alleged incident at the defendant’s house, Ms Meads put it to the teenager that “Mr Nuwertey said the first time you went to his address you touched each other sexually”, adding that there was “no sexual intercourse”. The alleged victim said: “He was touching me and I told him to stop because I wasn’t feeling comfortable.”
Asked why she went to his house, she replied: “Like I said, he pressured me to come with him.”
The trial was also told that Nuwertey allegedly told the student that he wanted her to carry his baby.
After his arrest, Nuwertey 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, describing their relationship as professional in nature. Nuwertey, of Hanover Close, denies all the charges. The trial continues.
Understanding the charges
In England and Wales the age of consent is 16 — but the law sets a higher bar for adults in positions of trust. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it is a separate criminal offence for an adult in a specified role, including teachers, to engage in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old in their care, even where both parties are over 16. That is the basis of the abuse-of-position-of-trust count Nuwertey faces alongside the nine rape charges, all of which he denies.
Complainants in sexual offence cases are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, which is why the girl in this case cannot be identified. Evidence from young or vulnerable witnesses is frequently pre-recorded — typically in a video-recorded police interview — and played to the jury during the trial, as happened with the footage shown to jurors on Wednesday.
Where to get help
Anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse can contact Rape Crisis England & Wales on 0808 500 2222, which runs a 24-hour helpline, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000. Victim Support can be reached on 0808 168 9111. In an emergency, always call 999.
