A former Suffolk boarding school teacher who appeared in court two decades ago and admitted sexually assaulting boys has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing a ten-year-old pupil at the same school in the 1980s.

Alan Colling, a former Maths teacher at Old Buckenham Hall School, allegedly put his hand up the boy’s shorts while he was standing next to the teacher’s desk in class and also allegedly sexually assaulted him in his private accommodation.

When the boy complained to a master at the school he was allegedly told : “Children like you will go to prison one day,” said Claire Matthews, prosecuting.

Colling, 69, now of Scarborough, has denied three charges of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child dating back to the 1980s.

A jury at Ipswich Crown Court heard on Monday ( December 12) that during his first year at Old Buckenham Hall school the boy allegedly noticed Colling staring at him and felt that he “always seemed to be around”.

When he was changing or showering in sports lessons Colling had allegedly stroked the side of his face and touched his ear.

“He thought it was kindness. We say it was grooming behaviour, testing the water,” said Miss Matthews.

She claimed that while the boy was standing next to Colling’s desk in class the defendant had put his hand up his shorts and touched his thigh before moving higher towards his crotch.

This behaviour allegedly happened on at least ten occasions.

Miss Matthews claimed that Colling had also invited the boy to his private room where he allegedly touched him sexually and then gave him Mars bars as a reward.

After the alleged abuse the boy had felt “sick, shocked, confused and ashamed” and blamed himself for what had happened, said Miss Matthews.

She said apart from telling a master at the school the boy didn’t tell anyone about the alleged abuse at the time.

He later struggled with his mental health and addictions and eventually contacted the police in 2018.

The court heard that in 1992 Colling appeared before Bury St Edmunds Crown Court and pleaded guilty to a number of indecent assaults on male pupils at Old Buckenam Hall School between 1978 and 1991.

When he was interviewed by police about the latest allegations Colling denied sexually assaulting the ten-year-old alleged victim and said he had made full admissions in 1992 to everything he’d done wrong.

The trial continues.