Reading Crown' Court: Instructor guilty of sexual assault

Driving teacher said he was just trying to be kind to pupil

A DRIVING instructor indecently assaulted a female pupil and told her he loved her.

A jury unanimously convicted 69-year-old Brian Newman of the single charge after just under six hours’ deliberation on Monday, January 25.

Mr Newman, who runs the Brian Newman Driving School from his home in Kestrel Close, Thatcham, told jurors he had taken hold of the woman’s hand in order to calm her nerves.

He denied then placing her hand on his thigh and trying to kiss her as they each smoked a cigarette in a local beauty spot.

But he later apologised to her in a text, jurors heard, conceding he had been "inappropriate".

Giving evidence, the victim – who can not be identified for legal reasons – said Newman had also made a sexualised joke as they sat in a car park off Slanting Hill, Hermitage, during a lesson in 2019.

Newman, a driving instructor for the past 16 years, denied the single charge and said he had simply tried to be kind after his pupil became frustrated and upset over an imminent driving test.

He said he liked to develop a warm relationship with all his pupils and told jurors: "She was a very pleasant person to teach."

The court heard the woman became upset because, during her lesson that day, she had made the same wrong manoeuvre which led her to fail her test last time.

Newman added: "She got very upset and asked 'can we stop for a fag?'"

They did so and, he said, he took her hand in a bid to reassure her, and placed it on his knee as they talked.

Newman told jurors: "I said, 'I love you; calm down.' And she said it back.

"It was just calming words. She reminded me of my daughter."

He vehemently denied leaning in for a kiss, moving her hand up towards his thigh and making the sexual joke.

Newman admitted sending her a texted apology conceding his behaviour had been inappropriate.

Asked why, by prosecutor Shannon Revel, Newman replied: "I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea."

He said he had been "distressed and shocked" to hear the woman had made a formal complaint because they had been in contact since the incident in the car park.

Newman said he had no idea why the woman would invent her account.

After the jury’s verdict Judge Kirsty Real said she would need pre-sentence reports.

Newman was meanwhile released on unconditional bail.