A former teacher, who sexually assaulted boys at the school where he taught for 38 years, was put back in jail for a fifth time.
Michael Wilde, 73, was first jailed in 2015 after two of his victims came forward, which led to three more revealing their ordeals at his hands for which he was again sent to prison. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday, June 15, how Wilde was jailed again in 2019 and 2020 after another two former pupils of Wade Deacon High School in Widnes came forward.
The latest victim revealed what Wilde had done to him when he was aged between 11 and 14 in the 1970's while police were speaking to him about an unrelated matter in 2020.
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Wilde was a chemistry teacher, but also helped out with sports activities, which is when all the offences took place. David Watson, prosecuting, said the defendant began abusing the boy in his first year at the school.
While he was struggling to do pull-ups Wilde put his hands on his buttocks to push him up and then put his hand under his shorts and touched his testicles. That happened on at least 12 occasions in the first year and four or five times in his second year.
When he was in his third year Wilde suggested he act as wicket keeper and as he did not know how to put a cricket box on Wilde got involved. He pulled down the boy’s shorts and underwear and "quick as a flash" began cupping his genitals for four or five seconds before positioning the box and pulling his clothes up.
Mr Watson said the victim “also described after rugby training he (Wilde) would enter the communal showers, naked with an erection, and would stare at them while they were washing. He described himself and the other boys as petrified what would occur."
When the defendant was interviewed in July last year he accepted carrying out such behaviour and that it was likely the latest complainant was a victim. He said he was “disgusted” with himself and attributed his behaviour to immaturity.
In a moving impact statement read to the court today, the victim told how he has suffered psychologically “because I bottled it all up” as he did not think he would be believed. He said that because of the sexual groping by Wilde he played truant as much as he could.
He said: “This resulted in me getting little in the way of a decent education. This lack of education meant that I had limited career choices. I could have had a better life but he prevented that, I don’t put the full blame on him, but I am certain that my experiences at school resulted in my low quality of life.
"I am lonely. I have always been numb to life and I don't recall ever getting excited about anything or looking forward to anything. I always wonder how different my life would have been if he hadn't done this to me."
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, also told how he had been prescribed anti-depressants in his 40’s but he stopped taking them as they gave him vivid dreams in which he saw Wilde.
All the offences committed by Wilde happened in the 1970’s and Judge Gary Woodhall pointed out: "He has been able to live the vast majority of his adult life without being tainted by the stigma of convictions for what he did.
"But the victims had to live the whole of their lives struggling with what happened to them as children."
Wilde, a granddad, of Drake Close, Burtonwood and Westbrook in Warrington, pleaded guilty to three offences of indecent assault and was sentenced to two years behind bars. The judge also ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.
The court heard that so far Wilde has now served a total of four and a half years for the earlier offences. Jeremy Rawson, defending, said, “Since coming out of prison he has returned home living with his wife and son and having contact with his granddaughter and daughter.
He pointed out that Wilde, who had a fall in February, has poor health including an enlarged prostrate, diabetes and glaucoma. He accepted that he had failed to “come clean” about all his offending behaviour when arrested on earlier occasions.
Mr Rawson said that Wilde could spend the rest of life facing allegations he cannot counter and keep going through the revolving door of prison.
