Former teacher Deborah Franklin jailed for seven years for 1990s abuse of boy

Deborah Franklin, 65, of Radlett, Hertfordshire, was jailed for seven years at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday 1 October 2026. 1 2 A trial earlier this year convicted Franklin of eight counts of gross indecency against a boy aged between nine and 12 in the 1990s. 1 2 Franklin was the boy's private tutor and also taught at a preparatory school in Hertfordshire. 2 1

The court heard Franklin undressed in front of the boy, kissed him and performed sex acts; the complainant said he was once tied to a bed and blindfolded, and that Franklin called out a husband's name during another act. 1 2 Prosecutor Gavin Pottinger said the family trusted Franklin to be in the boy's room during tutoring, and described Franklin as a woman "whose boundaries were just not there". 2 Judge Choudhry called the offending a "profound abuse of trust"; the defence said Franklin led an "exemplary life" and maintains innocence. 2

Franklin also receives a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will serve two thirds of the sentence before release on licence. 1 The victim, now in his 40s, first reported the abuse to police in 2024 and said it had shaped his life; he hoped the case would raise awareness that women can abuse and boys can be victims. 1 Detective Constable Liz McGrath said the case was complex because forensic evidence was no longer available and memories had faded, so it relied on witness credibility. 1