Hung jury in trial of ex-head over pupil kiss

James Rouse denied a charge of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust

The trial of a former head teacher over alleged sexual activity with a pupil has ended with a hung jury.

James Rouse, 49, of Lowford Hill Close in Bursledon, Hampshire, was accused of kissing the girl before October 2006 while he was a physics teacher.

The case is part of a wider police investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse at St Anne's Catholic School and Sixth Form College in Southampton, where Mr Rouse was headteacher from 2017.

Prosecutors are due to tell Portsmouth Crown Court on 4 December whether they wish to pursue a retrial.

Mr Rouse denied a charge of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.

Prosecutor Christopher Hewertson previously told the court: "The prosecution case is that he groomed her through year 11 and onwards and deliberately made himself perhaps the most important person in her life, and he caused her to become sexually attracted to him."

The charge related to a kiss on the mouth in a field near her house, he told the jury.

The pair went on to have a full sexual relationship when she turned 18, but this was not being prosecuted, Mr Hewertson said.

The wider police investigation into the Southampton school began in 2023, the court previously heard.