Teacher accused of having sex with two teen pupils in UK says ‘I was just friendly’
Sally-Anne Bowen, a 65-year-old former chemistry teacher, is on trial at Harrow Crown Court for alleged sexual offenses against two teenage pupils in the late 1980s. Bowen denies the charges, claiming she was merely being friendly with students.
Why it matters
The case highlights historical safeguarding issues in educational institutions and the legal complexities of prosecuting decades-old allegations.
A chemistry teacher denied having sexual relationships with two teenage pupils at an all-boys school, telling a jury: "I didn't flirt with students, I was just friendly".
Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, is alleged to have indecently assaulted both boys when they were aged around 14 to 15 and she was in her mid-20s, her trial at Harrow Crown Court heard.
Bowen joined the all-boys Christ's College in Finchley, north London, in the late 1980s and told the court on Thursday that she caught the attention of some boys at the school as a young female teacher.
She said she believed in hindsight she had been "too friendly" with students.
"I wanted to be liked, as we all do, and I received a lot of attention," she told the court.
"I was asked lots of questions ... I was friendly, I was nice and I wanted to answer their questions."
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