'Despicable' teacher jailed for 14 years after raping and sexually abusing child over 12-month period

A school teacher who sexually abused a child over the period of a year has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars after he was convicted of rape, eight counts of assault by penetration, and sexual assault following a seven-day trial that concluded at Hull Crown Court.

William Perkins, 30, of Keyingham in East Yorkshire, was charged with rape, fifteen counts of sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault in June 2026.

The child rapist pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to eight counts of assault by penetration but forced proceedings to trial by denying the charges of rape of a girl between 13 and 15 years old and sexual assault, and a trial was set where he was found guilty by a jury on all other counts.

Following his sentencing, Perkins was also ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Perkins came to the attention of Humberside Police officers after the force received a report that a child had disclosed a series of sexual abuses that they had been subjected to by him.

Following the report, Perkins was swiftly arrested and interviewed.

He denied all allegations of rape throughout the investigation but admitted to the allegations of sexual assault by penetration of a child.

Leading the investigation, Detective Sergeant Addison Lloyd of Humberside Police described Perkins' actions as "despicable".

He said: "I would like to start by highlighting the remarkable, unwavering courage and bravery demonstrated by the child in this case; her commendable behaviour is in stark contrast to the despicable crimes that Perkins has committed.

"Perkins was a teacher in a school at the time of the abuse; he held a position of trust, and whilst none of his offending happened in the workplace, he still violated this through his despicable actions.

Remarkably, Perkins admitted to some child sexual offences but denied a sexual interest in children, along with the allegations of rape.

"His refusal to admit what he had done led to the case being forced to trial, and this selfish act only extended the suffering for the child that he abused.

"I am incredibly grateful for all her and her families’ efforts, as without their vital evidence we would not have been able to bring Perkins in front of the courts.

“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and we will continue to seek justice for those who have suffered at the hands of predators like Perkins."

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Detective Sergeant Addison Lloyd added that Humberside Police's specialist-trained officers work closely with partnering and support agencies across the region to support victims and survivors, as well as prevent and bring justice to perpetrators of sexual crimes of any nature.

“When ready, we urge victims to come forward and tell someone, report these crimes to the police and we will do everything we can to hold those accountable," he said.

"If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual crimes, you can report via our non-emergency number 101. Always call 999 in an emergency or if a crime is ongoing.

"Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can report to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

The sentence comes as the National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an appeal to the public for information as two Rotherham grooming gang members remain on the run after being convicted of raping a schoolgirl.

Mudasar Hussain, 37, of Rotherham, Yorkshire, was found guilty in his absence of 12 counts of raping the girl, who was around 14 years old at the time.

Kamir Khan, 37, of Rotherham, was also found guilty in his absence of two counts of rape and one count of trafficking for sexual exploitation after he arranged for another man to have sex with the girl.

Mudasar’s brother Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, of Rotherham – also convicted of raping the girl – has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

Officers working to locate Hussain and Khan have pursued numerous lines of enquiry and are now appealing to the public for any information that could assist their investigation.

Mudasar was on conditional bail while awaiting trial and had surrendered his passport to the NCA as one of those conditions.

While authorities believe he may still be in Britain, there are growing fears the convicted paedophile may have fled the country illegally.

Khan, meanwhile, was granted unconditional bail ahead of his trial and is known to have left the country after flying to Qatar on September 22.

It is believed he travelled on to Pakistan shortly after arriving in the Gulf state.