A COURT heard heart-rending statements from the victims of a rapist teacher who in the Eden Valley.

One traumatised former pupil of Tyrone Castles, 59, from Dockray, Penrith, was raped on at least 50 occasions, the court heard. In a moving statement, the victim spoke of being haunted by the abuse.

A boarder at the school where Castles taught, he was repeatedly abused from the ages of nine to 11.

“Not a day goes by without me thinking about what Tyrone did," he said.

“There’s a constant black cloud over me.”

In the statement - read aloud during the sentencing at Norwich Crown Court - the victim said the last words he heard from his dying father were an apology for the abuse Castles subjected his son to.

Yet another victim said that his childhood had ended at the age of 12 due to the abuse by Castles, who had blackmailed him into calling him 'Dad'.

Castles sexually abused at least five children when he was working at Glebe House Boarding School in Hunstanton when he abused at least five vulnerable boys between August 1988 and October 1990, the court heard.

The actions of Castles - a father-of-five - were, said His Honour Judge Shaw, 'the most egregious breaches of trust' that the court had ever come across. The court heard told that Castles’ first victims had been groomed while he taught in South Africa in his early 20s.

Castles had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to many charges of buggery, gross indecency and indecent assault on boys under 16. His solicitor, David Wales, said: “He accepts entirely his responsibility for his offences.

"He recognises and knows that any apology he offers is likely to be ill received.

“Mr Castles is aware of the harm that has been caused to his victims. He is aware of the great damage he has done.

“He’s going to carry that knowledge to his grave.”

Mr Wales said the pre-sentence report made it clear that Castles did not enjoy the happiest of childhoods but his client has not tried not to make that an excuse.

Judge Shaw told Castles that he had caused severe psychological harm to his victims, adding: “It was effectively a campaign of serious and serial sexual abuse committed by you over a two to three-year period when you were working as a teacher at Glebe House Boarding School in Hunstanton.”

After sending Castles down for 24 years plus an additional 12 months on licence, the judge said: “I would like to pay tribute to the police officers who have worked so hard and, in particular, to the victims and their families for the courage and dignity they have shown in bringing this matter to justice.”

Castles is listed on Companies House as a 'hotelier', and having been a director at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, between June 2015 and February 2019.