A BRAVE teenager tearfully faced down her paedophile teacher in court to tell him the devastating effect of his crimes as he was jailed for sexually abusing her at the “socialist Eton”.

Paul Danby, 35, had told the under-age girl to refer to him as “Mr Danby or Sir” while he molested her at what is rated one of Britain’s best state schools.

The former pupil at Holland Park School in west London, now 19, branded Danby a “disgusting predator” as she insisted on reading her victim impact statement to him personally at Isleworth Crown Court.

She added: “I just wanted to say I hope you understand the impact of what you’ve done.”

Jailing him for four and a half years, Judge Hannah Duncan said: “You spent increasing amounts of time with her, initially to help her and later on in my judgement under the pretence of helping her.

“Slowly, step by step, she trusted you and the lines between teacher and pupil blurred and your relationship began to progress which was at first entirely inappropriate to what was later criminal. It was an ongoing course of deliberate, manipulative and cynical conduct. Over months you engineered situations where you could be alone with her.”

Holland Park School, once dubbed the “socialist Eton”, underwent an £80 million rebuild, making it Britain’s most expensive state school.

Former pupils include Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston, MP Hilary Benn, TV presenter Miquita Oliver, stand-up Omid Djalili and Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou.

The judge said she accepted Danby, who lives with his fiancee and two-year-old son in St Leonards, was remorseful and issued a ten-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

She said a sexual harm prevention order would be made against him at a further hearing later this month.

The girl, reading her victim impact statement in person to the court, said: “I was a vulnerable child that was completely taken advantage of from Year 7 aged 12 to the time of being molested aged 14 to 15.

“He made me think that it was our special secret and I’ve lost connection with everybody from my secondary school. When I did finally realise what happened to me I was 16, I became depressed, I had constant suicidal thoughts, self harm and body dysmorphia.

“This should have been a happy time in my life but was filled with disappointment and loathing. Not one day since the abuse began in 2014 that I haven’t thought about what happened. Thestress and daily flashbacks often stop me from sleeping and cause me to have anxiety attacks and nightmares. When I’m in public and see someone who looks like him I feel nauseous. I carried on education because I realised I couldn’t let one disgusting predator ruin my life and prospects. I’m destroyed emotionally and it’s a daily struggle for me and when I talk about it I can’t stop crying.”

Danby worked in the design and technology department at the school for four years until he left in August 2015.

He pleaded guilty to his crimes on October 21. He showed no emotion as he was jailed for four and a half years for sexual activity with a child. He was given concurrent sentences for other child sex crimes: six, nine and 27 months for three counts of sexual activity with a child and another 12 and 27 months for two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Rakesh Bhasin, defending, said: “In his own words this was the greatest mistake of his life and he fully understands the harm he has caused her.”