The family of a Nottingham man, who was sexually abused by one of his teachers, Alan Webster Ilkeston Paedophile, when he was just 12 years old, have spoken out after his attacker was convicted. Richard Crown died in a tragic accident in 2022 just a year after he finally found the courage to report what he suffered at the hands of paedophile tutor Alan Webster.
The now 82-year-old, Alan Webster, abused him in a storeroom at the former Glaisdale Comprehensive School in Bilborough when he taught the youngster in the 1980s. He also molested him in his car after grooming the vulnerable schoolboy and persuading him to deliver Christian Aid leaflets.
The perverted teacher also found him a job at both a fruit and vegetable stall and a sports shop, and took him to watch Notts County as ruses to carry on his sickening abuse.
Now Richard’s family have spoken out after Alan Webster, of Ilkeston was convicted of a number of counts of indecently assaulting him. In a statement, the Crown family said : “We hope that by speaking out, we can offer a voice to other victims who may still be suffering in silence from abuse. Richard is gone, but the legacy of what he endured and the life he lived after that abuse is a testament to his strength.
“While this conviction is one step in the journey toward justice, the grief, the scars, the years of pain cannot be undone. We promised him we would never ever give up on the fight for justice, he so bravely started.
“Richard, the person he could have been, was stolen from us long before he died. We mourn not only the child who was robbed of his innocence but the adult who struggled with scars that were never visible to most.
“For nearly 40 years, he lived with a pain that was both unimaginable and indescribable. While he may have been a child when the abuse began, the trauma he endured affected him for the rest of his life. We tragically lost Richard in the December of 2022 from ways that can never be fully understood by those who have not experienced such a deep, painful wound.
“While he may have been a child when the abuse began, the trauma he endured affected him for the rest of his life.”
The trial, at Nottingham Crown Court, heard how Alan Webster taught RE and English and was also involved in sports coaching at Glaisdale Comprehensive, in Glenbrook Crescent, in the 1980s. David Allan, prosecuting, said Richard, who has an older sister Rae, twin brother Andrew, 54, mother Vivian and who lived in Trentham Gardens, Aspley, started there in 1983 and was soon groomed by Webster.
He said: “He preyed on 12-year-old Richard Crown, who was probably in his first year at the school. On a pretext, on occasions, he got the boy alone with him in a classroom cupboard. He hugged him, that developed into stroking (and then on to full sexual abuse).
“He used a number of pretexts to get the boy alone. He asked Richard to help tidy up after class, or help paint some school desks over a school holiday. He got him to help deliver some Christian Aid envelopes to addresses to collect funds for the charity and found a way to be alone with him in his car.
“He took Richard to Notts County football games, got him a Saturday morning job at a fruit and veg shop and sometimes gave him lefts to or from the shop. He got the boy, by now a teenager, a job in a sports shop at Mapperley Top and again sometimes gave him lifts and sexually abused him in his car.”
Mr Allan said after leaving school Richard began working and became a sales director for a publishing company, “but he always carried what had been done to him with him”. He said in 2021, at the age of 50 and with two grown up children, he called 101, told the police what had happened to him and the investigation began. But tragically, he died in a fall in December 2022.
Alan Webster, of Longfield Lane, denied any abuse had taken place but after hearing all of the evidence, a jury this week found him guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child.
Judge Julie Warburton remanded him into custody and told him he would be sentenced on February 25, saying: “You have been convicted of serious offences and you know what the outcome will be.”
The family statement continued: “Richard was repeatedly sexually abused at the hands of Alan Webster (a supposedly trusted Religious Education teacher at Glaisdale Secondary School) in Nottingham in the early 1980s. Today, as Webster has now been convicted of that abuse, we feel a complex mix of emotions.
“There is a sense of relief that justice, though delayed, has finally been served. But there is also a profound sadness, a loss that cannot be undone. Richard, the person he could have been, was stolen from us long before he died.
“We mourn not only the child who was robbed of his innocence but the adult who struggled with scars that were never visible to most.
“All Richard’s family would like to take this opportunity to thank the jury for reaching a ‘unanimous’ guilty verdict today. Our sincere thanks also go to DC Steve Dunn and prosecution lawyers, Dawn Pritchard and David Allan for their unwavering support and dedication to our family throughout the case.”
Nottinghamshire Live has asked Nottinghamshire Police for Alan Webster’s custody photograph but it has not been provided. Glaisdale Comprehensive was renamed Haddon Park High School and then became Bluecoat Beechdale Academy.
UPDATE 27.02.25
A disgraced former teacher from Nottingham, who groomed and sexually assaulted a student in the 1980s, has been sentenced to prison.
Alan Webster perpetrated the assaults at Glaisdale Comprehensive School in Bilborough, with the abuse commencing when his victim was under 12 years old.
The 82-year-old has finally faced justice after his victim, Richard Crown, summoned the bravery in 2021 to disclose the incident.
Richard unfortunately passed away a year later without attaining the justice he deserved; nonetheless, his family attended Nottingham Crown Court today (25 February) to witness his attacker receive a substantial custodial term.
Alan Webster, residing on Longfield Lane in Ilkeston, refuted the claims but was found guilty by a jury earlier this month.
A trial revealed that Alan Webster mistreated the young student in a storeroom at Glaisdale Comprehensive School, which ceased operations in 2001.
He also sexually assaulted him in his vehicle after manipulating the schoolboy and convincing him to distribute Christian Aid brochures.
The teacher additionally secured him part-time employment and accompanied him to football matches as part of a perverse scheme to perpetuate the abuse.
Alan Webster was convicted of three charges of indecent assault and one charge of gross indecency with a minor.
He was condemned to eight years in prison today at Nottingham Crown Court. He will serve half of the sentence in incarceration before being released on parole for the remainder of the term.
In a statement, Richard’s family said they hoped the outcome would encourage other victims of abuse to come forward. They said:
“We hope that by speaking out, we can offer a voice to other victims who may still be suffering in silence from abuse. Richard is gone, but the legacy of what he endured and the life he lived after that abuse is a testament to his strength.
“While this conviction is one step in the journey towards justice, the grief, the scars, and the years of pain cannot be undone. We promised him we would never, ever give up on the fight for justice that he so bravely started.
“Richard, the person he could have been, was stolen from us long before he died. We mourn not only the child who was robbed of his innocence but also the adult who struggled with scars that were never visible to most.
“For nearly 40 years, he lived with a pain that was both unimaginable and indescribable. While he may have been a child when the abuse began, the trauma he endured affected him for the rest of his life. We tragically lost Richard in December 2022 in ways that can never be fully understood by those who have not experienced such a deep, painful wound.
“There is a sense of relief that justice, though delayed, has finally been served. But there is also a profound sadness, a loss that cannot be undone. Richard, the person he could have been, was stolen from us long before he died.
“We mourn not only the child who was robbed of his innocence but also the adult who struggled with scars that were never visible to most.”
Detective Constable Steve Dunn, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Public Protection Unit, welcomed today’s sentence and paid tribute to Richard and his family. He said:
“Alan Webster is a predatory sex offender who used his privileged position as a schoolteacher to abuse a schoolboy.
“His actions represented an appalling abuse of trust and had a significant impact on Richard for nearly 40 years.
“It is thanks to his courage that Alan Webster has finally been brought to justice today, and I would like to pay tribute to him and his family, who have conducted themselves with profound dignity in very difficult and painful circumstances.
“As this case demonstrates, it really doesn’t matter how long ago sexual abuse happened. What matters is that it happened at all.
“So if people come forward to us with historical allegations of this nature, we will listen to them, we will investigate their complaints, and we will do our utmost to get justice for them.
“Alan Webster may now be behind bars, but if there are others who have been affected by him, we urge them to come forward.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.