Teacher Accused of Secret Sexual Relationships With Schoolboys in Shocking 1980s Case
A former chemistry teacher allegedly crossed a deeply disturbing line with two teenage pupils, including one boy who believed she was his girlfriend and claimed they had sex dozens of times, a court has heard.
Sally-Anne Bowen, now 64, is facing eight counts of indecent assault over allegations dating back to the 1980s, when she was a 25-year-old teacher at a North London school. She denies all the accusations.
At Harrow Crown Court, prosecutor Madeleine Wolfe told jurors that Bowen allegedly developed inappropriate relationships with two boys who were between 14 and 15 years old. According to the prosecution, the teacher used her position of trust and authority to encourage flirtatious behavior and sexual contact.
The allegations involving the first pupil were described as the most serious. The boy was not taught by Bowen, but prosecutors say she began spending time with him during lunch breaks, talking with him and sometimes traveling home on the school bus.
The teenager eventually believed they were in a romantic relationship. The court heard that he thought Bowen was his girlfriend and believed that she loved him.
One alleged incident began when Bowen encountered the boy and other pupils looking through a pornographic magazine. Rather than simply confiscating it, the prosecution claimed, she pointed to an image of a naked woman and made a sexually explicit comparison involving herself.
The boy later traveled with Bowen to her flat in Golders Green, where they allegedly kissed. Prosecutors said that during the 1988 summer holiday, he became a regular visitor to her bedroom and later told police that they had sexual intercourse more than 20 times, possibly as many as 30.
He reportedly never stayed overnight and was allegedly expected to leave by around 1 a.m.
The boy’s mother eventually became suspicious and contacted Bowen, who allegedly denied that anything inappropriate was happening. After the teenager continued seeing Bowen following the school holidays, his mother contacted the school and was told that the teacher was no longer working there, without an explanation being provided.
The court also heard that Bowen later told the boy she was leaving Britain to stay at a kibbutz in Israel.
The second pupil described a different series of alleged encounters. Prosecutors said Bowen spent lunch breaks with him at a café near the school, where he allegedly kissed her and touched her breasts. The prosecution maintains that the teacher encouraged sexualized conversations with pupils and failed to maintain appropriate boundaries.
Bowen has completely denied engaging in sexual activity with either boy. When questioned by police in 2015, she reportedly described the first pupil as “besotted” with her and dismissed his account as “pure fantasy.”
The allegations resurfaced years later after the case was discussed during a Teaching Regulation Authority hearing in 2022. The second former pupil said he encountered information about that proceeding online and, after encouragement from his wife and family, decided to come forward.
He recalled being encouraged by other boys at school to kiss Bowen, whom he considered young and attractive at the time. Prosecutors allege that she did not respond negatively when he touched her.
The prosecution argues that the teenagers’ apparent willingness cannot be treated as genuine consent because Bowen was their teacher and occupied a position of authority and trust.
Bowen denies all eight charges. The trial is continuing, and the allegations remain matters for the court to determine.
