Class action: Court orders music school to pay victim of sex abuse
mainThe High Court today ordered Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester to pay a former pupil £45,000 for sexual abuse by her violin teacher.
The school was found to have facilitated sexual behaviour by Wen Zhou Li.
The former teacher faced police charges for rape and indecent assault which were later dropped. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
However:
Mr Justice Fordham found Mr Li had misused his position at CSM, adding: “The employment relationship at CSM caused Mr Li to have access to Abigail at CSM as her one-to-one instrumental tutor and on a day-to-day basis.
“The circumstances of that access to Abigail facilitated the sexual assaults which occurred.”
The ruling sets a precedent for further private lawsuits against Chethams and several other colleges.
Full report here.
Chetham’s says: ‘The current Chetham’s team carries a sense of deep regret and sorrow for the way in which some former teachers at our school betrayed and manipulated the trust that had been placed in them. We will remain forever sorry.’
None of its past administrators or board members has been called to account.
For a full account of decades of sexual abuse at Manchester music schools read here.
The link takes you to the summary in the Manchester Evening News. The full report is in fact here: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2021/1419.html
“The former teacher faced police charges for rape and indecent assault which were later dropped”, while “The circumstances of that access to Abigail facilitated the sexual assaults which occurred.”- that part is just disgusting.
Such a hideous story, but thanks for writing about that. The world needs to know its “heroes” by their names.
Five years ago Li was cleared of abuse charges.
https://theviolinchannel.com/wen-zhou-li-cleared-abuse-charges-chethams/
According to this there was a three year investigation:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/30/charges-dropped-against-chetham-violin-teacher-accused-of-raping-pupil-wen-zhou-li
Another article:The violinist who couldn’t listen to music after being falsely accused of rape
The fact the case against him was so weak made it all the more astonishing: Wen Zhou’s accuser had asked to be allowed to return to study under him, which she did for a number of years after the alleged incident was claimed to have taken place. Even her parents asked Wen Zhou to accept her as a pupil again.
The charge was withdrawn in March after it emerged that the complainant had made allegations against another teacher in another country, but that no charges had been brought.
“The judge said, ‘Mr Li, you can go out of the court with your head held high and no stain on your character. You are not guilty. Case dismissed.’”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/the-violinist-who-couldnt-listen-to-music-after-being-falsely-ac/
What has changed?
One is a civil case, while the other is a criminal case. So different levels of certitude.