William Lloyd-Lavery: Former teacher found guilty of indecently assaulting five girls in 1970s
A former teacher has been told he faces jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing pupils in the 1970s.
William Lloyd-Lavery, who was the principal of Lurgan Technical College from 1992-97, shook his head on Friday as a Belfast Crown Court jury found him guilty of six charges of indecent assault.
The offences relate to when he taught at an all-girls school in south Belfast.
Following a trial spanning two weeks, the six men and six women jury members deliberated for around four-and-a-half hours before returning unanimously guilty verdicts.
Despite his denials and claims he was the victim of a vendetta and that the complainants colluded against him via Facebook, the 77-year-old from Richmond Avenue, Lisburn was found to have sexually abused five pupils.
Lloyd-Lavery will now be placed on the Sex Offenders Register, with the length of time he will spend on the Register to be determined when he is sentenced in March.
All charges relate to a period spanning from August 31, 1975 and July 1, 1979 when Lloyd-Lavery worked as a history teacher at Richmond Lodge College on Belfast's Malone Road.
During the trial, former pupils gave evidence, recalling how they were targeted by him.
One woman, now in her 60s, said she felt she was "hunted like prey through my own school by a teacher for his own sexual gratification”.
She said she was lifted up and sexually abused by Lloyd-Lavery in a stationery cupboard after he told he needed help looking for a book.
The woman recalled how, when her feet were off the ground, Lloyd-Lavery held her with his left hand whilst he used his right hand to touch her which left her "frozen in horror”.
Her 94-year old mother also gave evidence, recalling how her "heart sank" when her then 13-year old daughter told her what had happened.
The woman said that as a result, both her and her now-deceased husband went to the school the following morning and she felt the headmistress was "keen that nothing should be done”.
Another victim gave evidence and recalled how she was taken by him to a storeroom where he asked her about the Bubonic Plague then touched her armpit, touched her breast then rubbed her groin over her school skirt.
The 12 jury members returned to court on Friday when the foreperson returned unanimously guilty verdicts on six charges of indecent assault.
The jury also returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on a further two charges of indecent assault whilst Judge Patrick Lynch KC directed them to find Lloyd-Lavery not guilty of one count of indecent assault on an evidential basis.
Earlier in the trial, two counts of gross indecency with or towards a child were withdrawn from the jury on a point of law.
Lloyd-Lavery's barrister asked the judge if his client could be released on continuing bail ahead of sentencing. This, the barrister said, would be to allow Lloyd-Lavery an opportunity to get his affairs in order.
Saying a term of imprisonment was "likely", Judge Lynch granted bail and said both a Probation and medical reports should be sought.
The judge said the latter was required as "any medications the defendant is on should be available" as the Prison Service would need informed.
The case was adjourned to March 6 for sentencing.