Soon after we arrived at Lewes Crown Court on the Friday morning, Neil Ralph came over to let me know that Richard Barton wanted to see me upstairs.
I didn’t know what to think. Inside the court, it was much busier than usual, with more people wanting to sit in the public gallery and significantly more press there than before. As Paul and I made our way upstairs, my mind was racing as to why Richard wanted to speak to us.
We were joined by Mark Ling and Andy Harbour. Richard explained that the judge had met with the defence and prosecution teams the day before and questions had been put to Forrest about the second charge of sexual activity with a minor. To my surprise and huge relief, Forrest had agreed for the charge to be included in this trial. It was as if a massive weight had been taken off my shoulders.
The formalities were explained to us. Judge Michael Lawson, QC would act as a magistrate while the charges of sexual activity with a child were put to Forrest for him to plead guilty, then the court would revert back to a Crown Court in order for the judge to pass sentence.
Trusted to keep these new developments to ourselves, we rejoined our friends and family in the courtroom. It was now packed, much fuller than it had been earlier in the trial. There were people we didn’t know in the seats that we had occupied all week, but Matthew, the court usher, arranged for the upstairs balcony to be opened and moved them up there.
I couldn’t believe how many people had come to ogle. It was like a cattle market. I couldn’t understand why they wanted to see something like this. This was about my daughter, it had nothing to do with them.
Gemma wasn’t in court that day, but I noticed nearly all of the team from Sussex Police who had worked on the case were there. For them, it was about closure as much as anything else, and I could see from their expressions that they were eager to hear the right result.
Forrest was brought up from the holding cells and I could see his mother and sister looking over anxiously, waiting for the inevitable. I could tell how upset they were. They had the added worry that Jim Forrest had fallen unwell the day before and been taken to hospital in an ambulance. I really felt for them.
Judge Michael Lawson, QC came into the courtroom and explained how the second charge of sexual activity with a minor was being added and that the court would revert to a magistrates’ court for the duration of the committal proceedings. The clerk of the court then read out five charges of sexual activity with a minor.
With each charge, Forrest pleaded guilty.
Gemma had already admitted that they’d had sex and the Crown Prosecution Service had irrefutable evidence to prove it, so there was no way Forrest could attempt to deny it. He almost seemed to shrug off the significance of what he was saying as he pleaded guilty each time.
Then, with the court effectively turned back into a Crown Court, the judge was able to pass sentence on both crimes.
In his sentencing statement, Judge Michael Lawson, QC told Forrest that he had ignored the cardinal rule of teaching and had subjected our family to ‘appalling distress’. He then added: ‘Your behaviour over this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people – her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school, and respect for teachers everywhere. It has damaged you, too, but that was something you were prepared to risk.
‘You now have to pay that price.’
The judge also referred to the fact that Gemma had been ‘got at’ to change her evidence. She had, he said, clearly received assistance in relation to what she should say.
Meanwhile, Forrest just sat there, looking blank.
Forrest was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for the five offences of sexual activity with a child and one year for the offence of child abduction, to run consecutively. That meant a total of five-and-a-half years. Depending on good behaviour and other factors, he is unlikely to serve the full sentence, but Paul and I felt that justice had been done: the sentence felt right.
Forrest was also made to sign the sex offenders’ register and banned from working with children for life.
I felt so relieved that it had all been brought to a head so quickly. As before, I didn’t exactly feel like celebrating; this has never been about celebrating. That’s not something I will ever be able to do.
Outside the court, it was mayhem. Neil Ralph read out a statement I had prepared for the press. In it, I thanked the team from Sussex Police who worked on Operation Oakwood, East Sussex Child Services, the French team, the media team and everyone else who had helped bring Gemma home and brought Forrest to justice.
Finally, we could leave. I couldn’t wait to get home and see the children, and I began thinking about how I could rebuild my relationship with Gemma.
On the way home, I received a text from Kennedy High School, saying that the school had prepared a letter for the pupils to take home to their parents. It was about the day’s verdict regarding a teacher and pupil at the school.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. How dare they write anything about my daughter without my consent? Gemma was no longer part of Kennedy High School and I wasn’t going to allow them to try and justify their incompetence to unknowing parents.
I immediately rang the school and asked to speak to Mr Worship. ‘What gives you the right to give out a letter about my child when you have done nothing to support her or my family? I am on my way to the school and I want a copy of that letter!’ I told him.
Paul and I then drove straight to the school and Mr Worship was waiting for us. He showed us into his office and began to apologise for the text coming to us; we should have been removed from the group text mailing list. I had no qualms in telling him that I regarded it as just another demonstration of the school’s total incompetence.
He gave me the letter and watched me as I read it. After a short while, I pushed it back to him. ‘You do realise,’ I said, ‘that I hold you responsible for why this got out of control?’ He replied, ‘Yes, yes, I know, and I completely understand.’
Then it was Paul’s turn. All the heartache of the day when Gemma went missing and the anguish of the weeks that followed came out in a flood. It had been brewing for nine months and he needed to vent his fury. He said he was absolutely disgusted by how the school had allowed this to happen. They’d been in the paper saying how much they’d done when really they’d done nothing. Worship just sat there and said, ‘Yes, yes, I understand.’ He couldn’t offer us any more and repeated himself, so with that, Paul and I stood up and marched out of his office feeling determined that this wouldn’t be the last they heard from us. We were so angry.
The extreme anger that I felt at that moment was to take over my life for the next few months. For a while, I wondered if it would ever go away. I reminded myself that I had suffered panic attacks for 10 years, but I’d been determined not to let them take over my life and, with help, had been able to overcome them. In the same way, I knew I would get through this feeling of rage that was taking control over me.