Prolific padeophile teacher Nigel Leat who preyed on schoolgirls will stay behind bars as his parole bid is rejected
ONE of Britain’s most horrific paedophiles will stay behind bars after his bid for freedom was rejected by the Parole Board.
Nigel Leat, 63, was handed an indefinite sentence in 2011 after he was convicted of abusing five girls while a teacher in Somerset.
As many as 40 kids might have been targeted by Leat and he even filmed some of the attacks taking place during lessons.
He admitted 36 offences including attempted rape of a child and sexual assault while he worked as a primary school teacher at Hillside First School in Weston-super-Mare.
Father-of-two Leat would identify “star pupils” and shower them with gifts before abusing them in one-to-one reading sessions.
He would also molest girls as young as six while they read aloud in lessons.
A Parole Board hearing based on written documents on March 12 concluded that the panel was “not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public”.
He was first released from prison in 2020 but recalled in 2021 after breaching his licence.
Vile Leat was found to have been “accessing concerning material on the internet linked to his continuing sexual interest in children”.
After he was returned to prison items of concern were then found in his cell.
The recent hearing considered victim impact statements on the consequences of Leat’s horrific offending.
In a risk assessment it was shown that “since his return to prison, there have been concerns reported about Mr Leat’s behaviour”.
He is said to be working towards rehabilitation behind bars but this will “take a long time to complete”.
Leat, who is also known by the surname Russell, had been due to have a public parole board hearing, but his lawyers successfully argued that it should be heard based on written documents.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Nigel Leat following a paper review. The panel also refused to recommend a move to open prison.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.
“Under current legislation he will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.”