Guilty! Michael Crombie, London, England, United Kingdom (arrested 2010) [indecent assault & images]

London Metropolitan Police: Music tutor further jailed for assaulting girls (Jan 25 2013)

An eminent music tutor who pleaded guilty to assaulting 16 young girls over four decades has been given a further jail sentence after new information about his offending came to light.​

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Michael Crombie, 76 (8.01.37), formally of Monkhams Avenue in Woodford Green, previously pleaded at the Old Bailey on 21 December 2012 to 49 counts of abuse involving 16 girls, some as young as 11 years, between 1964 and 2007.​

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A further 28 cases, including two counts of rape and 26 counts of indecent assault, were ordered to lie on file.​

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Crombie had first appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court in 2010 where he was found guilty of 26 counts of abusing nine young girls between 1992 and 2002. He was also convicted of a further seven counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a total of seven years imprisonment in 2010, reduced to five years following appeal, and was due for release this May.​

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Her Honour Judge Wendy Joseph QC jailed him today for a further three years saying she had to use sentencing guidelines in operation at the time he first appeared at court.​

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Publicity arising from the original case led to many more victims approaching the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) at Woodford to make the additional allegations.​

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The court had previously heard that Crombie worked as a private music teacher at his former address in Woodford Green and abused girls during their weekly music sessions. The additional charges relate to his time working as a music teacher at two schools in Redbridge.​

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Detective Inspector Caroline Jackson, who leads the Child Abuse Investigation Team [CAIT] at Woodford, said:"Michael Crombie was an eminent member of the local community and highly respected music teacher. He used this position of trust to abuse children who had been placed into his care for music tuition. He was a prolific offender who committed unimaginable abuse over four decades. His actions have impacted on the lives of numerous women who somehow found the courage to relive their experiences and help secure this conviction.​

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"The Met remains totally committed to investigating and prosecuting offenders of any form of child abuse. This case has highlighted that commitment as well as our persistence to investigate further allegations of abuse made after Crombie's initial conviction in 2010. We hope that today’s sentence will finally bring the victims a sense of closure and we would like to express our sincere thanks for their courage and determination.”​

 

Ilford Recorder: Paedophile music teacher at Redbridge schools jailed for further three years for abusing girls (Jan 25 2013)

Michael Crombie was jailed for five years in 2010 after being convicted of charges relating to the systematic abuse of 29 young girls. Another 30 former pupils came forward in the latest case, which relates to a period when he worked first at Beal Grammar School from 1964 to 1974, and then at Wanstead High School until 1990. It emerged after he asked another of his victims to provide a character reference during his first trial, the court was told ... While at Beal, he began a sexual fling with a 14-year-old girl and manipulated her into performing sex acts on him in the school’s music room cupboard. Crombie, formerly of Monkhams Avenue, Woodford Green, admitted the charges.​

 

Guardian: Former Wanstead High School and Beal High School music teacher Michael Crombie, formerly of Monkhams Avenue, Woodford Green, sentenced to three years for abusing girls (Jan 25 2013)

A convicted paedophile has been sentenced to three years after admitting 47 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual activity with a child. Michael Crombie, 76, formerly of Monkhams Avenue in Woodford Green is already serving a five year sentence after being convicted of the abuse of 29 girls in 2010. Crombie, who committed his offences while working as a music teacher at Wanstead High School and Beal High School between 1964 and 2007, will serve his three year term after finishing his current sentence. ​

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This Is Local London: Former Wanstead High School and Beal High School music teacher Michael Crombie, formerly of Monkhams Avenue, Woodford Green, sentenced to three years for abusing girls (Jan 25 2013)

 

ITV: Music tutor jailed for indecent assaults (Jan 25 2013)

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A music tutor who pleaded guilty to assaulting young girls over four decades has been given an extra three year jail sentence after new offences came to light. Michael Crombie, originally from Woodfood Green, had previously pleaded guilty to 49 counts of abuse involving girls as young as 11. A further 28 cases, including two counts of rape, were ordered to lie on file.​

 

Guardian: Beal and Wanstead High schools criticised by judge after former teacher Michael Crombie has jail term extended (Jan 25 2013)

A judge slammed two Redbridge secondary schools as she sentenced a music teacher to three years for sexually abusing dozens of young girls ... Sentencing him at the Old Bailey today, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said: “It is clear that complaints were made to schools by a number of girls on a number of occasions, but nobody took any, or any adequate, steps to ensure that this defendant was stopped.” ... The court heard a string of disturbing accounts of Crombie’s abuse which emerged after one former pupil was outraged by his request for a character reference during his last trial. The court heard he had asked her to turn up at his home naked, telling her to imagine him raping her.​

This Is Local London: Beal and Wanstead High schools criticised by judge after former teacher Michael Crombie has jail term extended (Jan 25 2013)

 

UK Daily Mail: Secondary school 'repeatedly ignored warnings that music teacher was sexually abusing dozens of young girls' (Jan 25 2013)

• Convicted paedophile Michael Crombie, 75, jailed for a further three years
• New case added to 2010 conviction of five years for abusing 29 young girls
• Another 30 victims stepped forward after music teacher's 2010 trial

 

Huffington Post: Complaints Over Perverted Music School Teacher Michael Crombie 'Were Not Taken Seriously' (Jan 25 2013)

A judge has criticised school authorities for not taking complaints about a perverted music teacher seriously. Michael Crombie was allowed to molest 16 girls at two schools over 30 years unchallenged, the Old Bailey heard on Friday. Judge Wendy Joseph said: "It is clear complaints were made to the school by a number of the girls on a number of occasions but no one took adequate steps to stop this defendant preying on these girls." The offending came to the attention of police after they began investigating Crombie when he retired and started molesting students he was giving private lessons to.​

 

Guardian: Independent review into teacher who abused dozens of girls (Jan 29 2013)

An independent review will be carried out to establish how a Woodford Green music teacher was able to abuse dozens of girls while working at two Redbridge schools ... The offences relate to Crombie’s time as a music teacher at Beal Grammar School between 1964-1974, at Wanstead High School where he worked until 1990 and at his home where he taught music privately until 2007. ​

This Is Local London: Independent review into teacher who abused dozens of girls (Jan 29 2013)

 

Thank you for posting this information. And thanks to the women who had the courage to stand up to this evil man in the original trial, in which I had a small part. I am now abroad, but am glad this man is still locked up. I could not believe it when his original sentence was reduced, but he is very very manipulative... Justice... not a lot, for those who suffered, but something nevertheless. And the whole world knows now. Thank you.