Craig Hill, 46, touched the girl under a table and into her school closet several times while a teacher at Hall Park Academy in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.

The girl, who has not been named, fell in love with Mr Hill, who offered her extra tuition because she was struggling in her lessons, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

She was “infatuated” and “wanted to impress”, her teacher, prosecuting attorney Dawn Pritchard, told the court.

Instead of discouraging this, Mr Hill “exploited” her, sexually assaulting her during these meetings outside of normal school hours.

Pritchard said: “It started with him touching her back, then he touched her leg and moved it higher.

“She recalled one time when they went into a closet in the back of the classroom and he unbuttoned his shirt and she was shocked at how hairy his chest was.”

The former teacher’s sexual offenses came to light years later, when the girl, now an adult, reported him to the police.

In a statement read to the court, she said: “I feel I have wasted so much precious time and my childhood.

“I can’t remember about school because every memory is tainted for me – I was a child and I was looked after by this man.

“I have to keep remembering that I was a kid. My only responsibility was to be a child and nothing I could have done would have changed the outcome.

“I am anxious and wary of bumping into him and will always feel that way.”

Mr Hill, of Mornington Crescent in Nuthall, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He has now been sentenced to 32 months in prison after appearing in court on Friday. He will also be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Sentencing him, the judge said: “You were in a position of responsibility towards that girl. It probably became clear to you very early on that she had a feeling for you – a teenage crush – sometimes students are formed for those who teach them.

“All you had to do was show him the door kindly but firmly.” The fact that you didn’t say much. It’s perfectly clear that you didn’t discourage her in what she felt – on the contrary, you exploited her.

“You took care of her.” The closet in the back of the classroom became your secret place with her.

The judge added: “She, the love child with whom she had no previous sexual experience, could not begin to understand the ramifications of what was happening and the effect.

“There’s an ongoing impact on that child as she is — still the child trapped in the adult’s body because of what happened to you.

“I think you have remorse now, but it’s less easy to tell if it’s remorse for others or for yourself.”

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