A paedophile music teacher who has been jailed for sickening child offences will be allowed to teach students under the age of 16 after his release, a judge has ruled.
Thomas Rodgers, who was 17 to 18 when he subjected children aged between five and 11 to horrific abuse in the 1990s, was jailed for four years on Monday – subjecting his victims to an agonising 25-year wait for justice.
The 44-year-old musician, of Balmoral Close, Billericay, was convicted by unanimous verdict for one count of indecent assault on a male, and two counts of indecency with a child after a trial in December last year.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how Rodgers sexually assaulted the youngest victim, who was between five and eight, at least four times. The second victim was aged between eight and 11 when he was subjected to horrific sexual abuse.
Jailing Rodgers for four years, Judge Louise Kamill said: ‘In my view, the real punishment on you is the effect on your reputation and your personal and professional life.’
Judge Kamill did not impose a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which means Rodgers can return to private tutoring when he is released.
Paedophile teacher Thomas Rodgers (pictured) was 17 to 18 when he subjected children aged between five and 11 to horrific abuse in the 1990s. He has been jailed for four years
‘Clearly it is desirable that anybody you teach in the future is over 16, or the parent or guardian is aware of your past,’ she said.
‘[The SHPO] is not, in my opinion, necessary, although I strongly advise that should you continue to teach, you should contact the parent of any child and make them aware.’
The ‘severe’ psychological impact of Rodgers’ sickening offending was laid bare by moving statements from his victims, both originally from East London.
One addressed Rodgers in the dock and said: ‘I hope you are happy and proud of what a monster you are… I’m happy I’m a survivor, and I’m proud and hopeful no-one will have to go through what I have gone through with you again.’
They described decades of social anxiety, the pressure it put on their marriage, and the feeling they could not protect their own child.
‘You robbed me of the innocence and joy of my youth and adulthood,’ they added.
Another victim said they had tried to ‘downplay’ the abuse to themselves, and turned to drugs to soothe the ‘shame and embarrassment’ which also left them questioning their own sexuality and how to interact with children.
‘My earliest childhood memory is seared into my mind, being locked in a bathroom with Thomas Rodgers and being forced to perform unspeakable acts,’ the victim said.
‘I recognise that justice is a positive step, but it’s crucial to recognise the pain inflicted can never be undone.’
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Rodgers was jailed but was cleared to teach under 16s after his release
The eldest victim first made contact with Rodgers in 2009 to ask him to hand himself in, at a time when Rodgers was undergoing checks to work with children. Instead of admitting the abuse, Rodgers met up with the victim in the hope he would stop contacting him, the court heard.
The victim made a statement about the abuse to police in 2011, but as Judge Louise Kamill said, ‘for some unfathomable reason it was not followed up’.
Only after seeing a therapist did the victim then step forward again to report the abuse in 2019, leading to Rodgers’ arrest and eventual prosecution.
Had the offences been committed now, Rodgers would have been convicted of rape of a child under 13, which carries a maximum sentence of life with a minimum of six years in prison.
Instead, Judge Kamill was limited to the much lower maximums, which were in place in the 1990s, of two years for indecency with a child and four years for indecent assault.
After the offences, Rodgers studied music at Kingston University and went on to teach in schools before becoming a private music tutor and musical director of the Hornchurch Can’t Sing choir.
Ahead of his sentence, a joint investigation by MyLondon and Romford Recorder revealed Rodgers continued to teach young children at his home while on bail.
Rodgers’ victims said the legal loophole, which means private tutors are not required by law to provide a DBS check or declare their convictions to parents, was ‘disgusting’ and it was ‘traumatising’ to know he still had access to children.
In response, prosecutor Babatunde Alabi called for a SHPO to force Rodgers to declare his offences.
‘The reason the Crown is seeking one is because the defendant still has unfettered access to young children… He does not need to be DBS checked because, I understand, he is not a teacher, he is in the private profession… There’s no complete ban on having communication with children, provided the parent or guardian of that child are aware of his conviction,’ Mr Alabi explained.
But defence counsel Claire Cooper claimed her client had already told parents about the offences and sentence date, after it was suggested by police officers a few days after his conviction.
The police then followed up by emailing parents directly, causing some to withdraw their children, though, as MyLondon found, not all.
Ms Cooper described Rodgers as a ‘widely respected’ and ‘upstanding’ member of the community, who had been subject to cold calls and ‘endless’ press articles, as she urged Judge Kamill not to impose the terms of the SHPO.
‘All I ask on behalf of Mr Rodgers is that the court takes into account that these offences were from a quarter of a lifetime ago when he was a youth himself,’ she added.