Two former staff of St Paul’s Cathedral School have been convicted of sexual offences against former choristers in the 1980’s – Anthony Reece in 2002 and 2008, and Stephen Douglas Hogg in 2009. In 2004 a senior adult choir member of St Paul’s Cathedral Mark Peterson, was also convicted of abusing St Paul’s choristers.
Anthony Reece and Stephen Douglas Hogg were both teachers and housemasters, both of whom abused their positions to sexually, physically and emotionally abuse young boys in their care. A more flagrant breach of trust is hard to imagine.
Mark Peterson was a senior adult member of the choir at St Paul’s Cathedral, of which the choristers were an integral part.
In 2002, house master and geography teacher Anthony Reece pleaded guilty to sexual offences against a St Paul’s boy at Middlesex Crown Court for which he was sentenced to a 3 year Community Rehabilitation Order. He was later prosecuted further (in August 2008) for sexual offences against St Paul’s choristers at Southwark Crown Court. He was sent to prison for fifteen months. Anthony Reece died in 2010.
In October 2004, Mark Peterson was sentenced to 8 years in prison at Guildford Crown Court for sexual offences against children, including St Paul’s choristers. He was found guilty on ten charges. It is thought he is recently deceased.
House master and Latin teacher Stephen Douglas Hogg was convicted in October 2008 at Southwark Crown Court of sexual offences against St Paul’s choristers in the 1980s, and received a term of 4.5 years’ imprisonment. A subsequent prosecution against Stephen Douglas Hogg was dropped for ‘evidential difficulties’.
In 2022, further choristers came forward with disclosures of sexual abuse at St Paul’s Cathedral, dating back to the 1980s. The City of London police instigated a new investigation into Stephen Douglas Hogg, which was No Further Actioned following Douglas Hogg’s death in late 2023, regrettably bringing former choristers’ avenue for justice in the criminal courts to an end.
The Chief Investigating Officer David Honan at City of London police said:
“I never underestimate the long-term impact that suffering abuse in childhood has on an individual, nor the courage that it takes to come forward and report this to the police. In the cases referenced by Tracey, individuals abused the trust placed in them by society, their employers and most importantly those that they were expected to care for and educate. There can be no greater betrayal.
In partnership with colleagues across UK law enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service, we will be relentless in the pursuit of these individuals.
If you have been harmed against in the past, then I would encourage you to come forward, you will be supported, believed and the matter will be investigated.”
In terms of justice there remains for the ex-choristers the route of pursuing civil compensation claims. As the perpetrators are deceased, claims may be directed against St Paul’s Cathedral School who employed the perpetrators as teachers and housemasters, and / or St Paul’s Cathedral.
Should anyone affected by this news feel able, they should not hesitate to contact either Tracey Emmott of Emmott Snell Solicitors or the City of London Police, who will be ready to offer a confidential space to share their story, and any legal advice if they request it. We are representing a number of alumni from St Paul’s Cathedral Choir School who suffered sexual abuse at the school in civil compensation claims.
