A CARER jailed for systematically abusing vulnerable boys at a special school has been accused of more crimes.

Police confirmed another person has come forward alleging they were assaulted by Robin Carter.

The 70-year-old was jailed for nine years in May after being convicted of ten indecent assaults of three boys aged between ten and 12 in the mid 1990s.

He is now a registered sex offender for life and is the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his access to boys.

Carter, of Lewes Road, Westmeston, worked at Ditton Place in Staplefield, near Haywards Heath, as a child care officer between 1984 and 2000. The building closed in 2002 but had been part of nearby Brantridge School, a residential special school for boys with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Sussex Police said officers were in the early stages of an investigation.

The news comes as lawyer Peter Garsden, who leads the fight for justice on child sex abuse, urged victims and witnesses to come forward.

He is already representing those who suffered at the hands of Carter and claims there are likely to be dozens more victims who are yet to come forward.

He said it was time for victims to “stop suffering in silence”, adding: “This is just the tip of the iceberg in my experience in cases where abuse takes place in an institution, the chances of the incidents being this isolated are extremely slight. These type of offenders have usually abused many more children over the years.

“You will not be judged and everything is anonymous. From our research and interviews we believe there to be many more victims out there. Many of these victims wouldn’t have told even their close family so coming forward and admitting the abuse is very hard to do. But it can help the healing process.”

“We are interested in speaking to anyone who was a former pupil at Brantridge Boarding School who had any contact with Mr Carter, any former staff, or anyone else involved with the school, particularly between 1994 and 1995.”

A victim Carter was convicted of abusing has launched legal action against Royal Borough of Greenwich council which ran the home.

He said the carer would regularly watch him and other boys naked in the shower from the age of 10 and later went on to molest and fondle him in bed.

The victim, who has to remain anonymous for legal reasons and is now in his 30s, told how he lived in a dormitory with five other boys but was usually left alone when they went home at weekends, leaving him him vulnerable to Carter’s attacks.

He said the abuse had a profound effect on his life and he has battled with flashbacks and depression ever since.

A council spokesman said: “The Royal Borough of Greenwich has received a claim regarding alleged incidents at Ditton Place. As this is an on-going legal matter, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Contact Peter Garsden at Simpson Millar solicitors on 0345 357 9200 or email Peter.Garsden@simpsonmillar.co.uk.

Background

OFFICERS started to investigate Robin Carter in 2014 when an ex-pupil contacted the school as a witness to his behaviour.

Detective Constable Gilly Sadler said: “Carter had used his status with vulnerable young boys to groom and systemically sexually abuse them. The victims bravely gave evidence against him at the trial.The victims bravely gave evidence against him at the trial.

"This case once again shows we will always take seriously all such reports and will investigate wherever possible to seek justice and support for victims no matter how long ago the events occurred.”

Police stressed the crimes had nothing to do with current pupils and staff at Brantridge boarding school.

Additional reporting by Simon Lennon