A former pupil of Christ's College in Finchley, north London, testified today that chemistry teacher Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, behaved in class like she was in 'a Sabrina Carpenter music video,' according to Harrow Crown Court proceedings. Bowen faces eight counts of indecent assault against two boys, alleged to have occurred in the late 1980s when they were 14 or 15 and she was in her mid-20s.
Court hears of 'sexual' classroom behavior
Tobias Oliver, a former pupil who did not know the two alleged victims, told the court that Bowen's arrival caused 'a stir' at the school, which typically had male or older female teachers. 'She dressed and behaved more like my teenage female friends than the other teachers,' Oliver said. 'She would wear short, very tight skirts, a tight t-shirt or vest top and a loose cardigan.' He added that 'the topics of conversation in class often strayed away from chemistry and became quite sexual.'
Oliver described Bowen's mannerisms: 'She would often chew on the end of her hair or cardigan. She would brush her hand over her breasts … it was more like what you would see in a Sabrina Carpenter video than what you would see in a classroom.' Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is known for playful songs and music videos sometimes containing sexual references.
Alleged incidents and witness testimony
One boy alleged he had sex with Bowen 'about 20 or 30 times' over several months, that he would visit her at her home, considered her to be his girlfriend and had fallen in love with her, the court heard. Oliver told the court Bowen had no boundaries and 'felt more like trying to be one of us, like our friend, than a teacher.' He said she was 'very flirtatious' in class and told them how she enjoyed giving oral sex to her boyfriend. 'She would share staffroom gossip which we thought was interesting and talk about other staff – about their relationships and desirability,' Oliver said. 'At the time, I remember thinking it was very odd. Very sexual. Very unlike a teacher.'
Oliver recounted a specific incident where Bowen sat on a desk and slowly opened her legs, revealing her underwear. He also described another occasion when a boy in the class was reading a 'sex manual,' which he believed to be the Kama Sutra. 'Sally-Anne Bowen decided to go through it, discussing the merits of different sexual positions, telling us what she had tried and asking what we had tried,' Oliver said, noting this was not a 'brief incident' and 'became the focus of the lesson.'
Additional allegations and defense
Oliver told the jury that before one lesson, he saw Bowen at the top of some stairs with 'a couple of students.' He said: 'One of these students had his hands on her breasts. I heard Sally-Anne Bowen giggling and saying “stop, you shouldn’t do that” – but in the playful way you sort of do if you’re being flirtatious with someone.' Asked by defense barrister Mark Kimsey if he had reported the incident, Oliver said he had not.
Richard Luker, who was head of science at the school in the late 1980s, told the court he remembered a complaint from the first alleged victim's mother that she was concerned the boy was planning to travel abroad with Bowen at the end of term. Bowen, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, denies eight counts of indecent assault, and the trial continues.
