Former teacher convicted of further sexual assaults on a child
A former teacher at a school in Surrey, previously convicted of sexually abusing two pupils, has been found guilty of a series of further sexual assaults on a third pupil.
Jonathan Marshall, 75, who worked at St. Dunstan’s Middle Catholic School in Woking, targeted the boy in the late 1980s, when he was aged between 8 and 10.
In 2021, he disclosed what had happened to him. The sexual attacks took place in the neighbouring church, although on one occasion, he was driven away from the school to a deserted property, where he was abused by the defendant and another man, who has since died. The victim described his “intense panic” of realising that he was too small to fight against two men.
Catherine Wear, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Marshall is an appalling sexual predator who subjected the young victim to horrendous and repeated sexual abuse.
“Marshall took full advantage of his position of authority, telling the child that no-one would believe him if he said anything as he was “just a little boy”.
“The victim described how he felt threatened and coerced by the defendant and Marshall did everything he could to control him, making veiled threats that if he said anything about the abuse, he would get into trouble.
“Stories were found on Marshall’s laptop from a website specialising in sexual interest in children and these included chillingly similar details of the abuse described by the victim.
“Despite the threats Marshall made many years ago, the bravery of the victim in coming forward has ensured that the defendant has now been brought to justice.”
“We are committed to holding every perpetrator accountable through robust prosecutions and meticulously building strong cases that stand up in court. We understand the courage it takes for victims to come forward, which is why we work closely with police and support services to ensure they receive the care they need throughout the criminal justice process.”
Notes to editors
• Following a trial at Kingston Crown Court, Jonathan Marshall [17/06/1950] was found guilty of nine charges of indecent assault on a male person, three charges of buggery and one charge of indecency with a child.
• As the offences occurred in the 1980s, they predate the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This means the charges are buggery and indecent assault on a male, as these offences were not classified under legislation as rape until the 2003 Act came into effect.
• Marshall changed his name by deed poll in 2017 from John Lillis following his original trial.
• At the trial in 2013, Lillis was convicted of one count of attempted rape and two charges of indecent assault. He had previously admitted five counts of indecent assault. He was jailed for six years.
• Catherine Wear is a Senior Crown Prosecutor with the CPS South East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team (RASSO), which is staffed by specially trained lawyers and paralegal officers. They also handle child sexual abuse cases, including non-recent cases, and all other serious sexual offences.
• We have launched our 2025-2030 Violence against Women and Girls strategy which explains how our prosecutors are tackling child sexual abuse and other forms of sexual violence