Victim of sex offender teacher Ian Featherstone 'lost innocence'

Ian Featherstone received a suspended sentence at Derby Crown Court on Monday

The victim of a sex offender teacher says she has "lost her innocence" because of him.

Derbyshire Police said Ian Featherstone targeted the teenager, one of his pupils, grooming her through messages before the relationship turned sexual.

The father-of-two, of Pulford Drive, Leicestershire, was working at Abbotsholme School in Ashbourne at the time.

He was handed a suspended sentence at Derby Crown Court on Monday.

Police said the teacher began exchanging messages with the girl before the conversation turned sexual, with the pair sending each other intimate photographs.

He had sex with the teenager as their relationship developed, the force added.

'Completely destroyed me'

"I didn't realise what was happening, what he was doing, until someone told me that what he did was not normal," Featherstone's victim told the court in a victim impact statement.

"It felt right because I finally thought I had found someone who 'wanted' me. However, this never explained why I felt on edge and scared around him."

Featherstone told the girl not to save his contact details, so his wife of 14 years could not find out about the relationship.

He would communicate with her via a social media platform to avoid detection, police added.

The 44-year-old admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.

Featherstone was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

"I lost my innocence," his victim added. "This completely destroyed me.

"You [Featherstone] took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my confidence, and my own voice.

"You have no idea how worthless you made me feel. Always being too scared to say no, or not to do as you wanted. This always scared me. I knew in the end you would always have your way, no matter if I said no.

"This lives with me, it will never leave."

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