A FORMER Hale Barns Catholic school teacher has been jailed for historic sex abuse against scores of his pupils.

Passing sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court on August 28, judge Timothy Mort told Alan Morris, 64, of Rivington Road, Hale, he would serve a maximum of four and a half years of his nine-year sentence.

Morris, who worked as a chemistry and RE teacher at St Ambrose Catholic College from 1972 until 1995, committed the offences between 1973 and 1990.

Earlier this summer, he was convicted of 19 offences of indecent assault and inciting a child to perform an act of gross indecency in relation to 10 boys.

Concluding, Mr Mort said Morris had 'shamefully used' his victims for his own sexual gratification.

The court heard that Morris joined the former Christian Brothers private school straight out of university and quickly established himself as the head of discipline, later becoming deputy head.

He used his position of authority as a 'cloak' to make inappropriate use of corporal punishment, often repeatedly targeting specific individuals.

During the trial, a clear pattern of behaviour became apparent: Numerous witnesses, many of whom were at the school during different decades, described Morris taking them into isolated areas of the school because they needed to be 'chastised', before he would hit them with various implements or his own hand.

At the same time, he would inappropriately touch and fondle his victims, taking clear, perverse enjoyment from this.

One group of boys who Morris said were 'making too much noise', were made to hit each other as punishment, while Morris filmed and took photographs.

The former teacher, who later served as a deacon at Holy Angels RC Church, Hale Barns, would often take photographs of his pupils from strange angels on the pretext of them being for the school prospectus, but the photographs were never published and, indeed, were found in Morris' desk drawers.

When Morris was arrested in 2012, police found large amounts of pornography in his home, often along the theme of teachers administering corporal punishment on boys in school uniform.

Mitigating, Mr Mort said many witnesses had testified to Morris' charitable work in the community in later life, but this did not excuse his crimes.

Morris, who kept his eyes closed throughout the sentencing, has never pleaded guilty to the offences.

• Joanna White, senior crown prosecutor for the CPS North West Complex Casework Unit, said: “Alan Morris abused his position of power within the school to prey on vulnerable young boys.

“He utilised the ability to carry out corporal punishment to perform acts and force others into acts which were designed to humiliate his victims in order to satisfy his own sexual desires.

"He continued to do so for years after corporal punishment was abolished.

“He had established a fearsome reputation as a ruthless disciplinarian at the school which prevented his young and frightened victims reporting him at the time.

"However, the abuse came to light in 2012 after Morris was due to be involved in a child baptism at a ceremony attended by one of his ex-pupils.

"It was the complaint made by the ex-pupil which gave a number of victims the courage to contact the police.

“After many years of maintaining a façade of respectability, Alan Morris has now been unveiled as a serial sexual offender who evaded justice for his crimes for decades.

“The CPS will continue to work closely with the police to bring to justice those who have abused young people, irrelevant of when the offences took place, and will support victims of such offences in every way possible.”

• A spokesman on behalf of the governors of St Ambrose College said: "St Ambrose College would like to express its sincere regret for any harm suffered by the individuals concerned.

"Those working in education are particularly appalled by any form of child abuse and we find it abhorrent that Mr Morris has been found to have betrayed the trust and responsibility that had been placed in him as a teacher.

"The incidents occurred many years ago and we would like to reassure parents, guardians and relatives that we have contemporary child safety policies in place and ensuring our pupils enjoy a happy and secure childhood and adolescence is our absolute priority.

"St Ambrose College cooperated fully with the Police investigation and provided as much assistance as possible and we would like to thank the Police for their diligent and exhaustive approach."