Press release

Sentence increase for teaching assistant who had sex with her pupil

Freya Squires has had her sentence increased to 4 years 8 months' imprisonment by the Court of Appeal.

RCJ 2

A teaching assistant who had sex with a pupil has had her sentence increased by the Court of Appeal to 4 years 8 months’ imprisonment.

Freya Squires, 46, worked as a teaching assistant. Over the course of 2 years she engaged in sexual activity with a 14 year old girl. Squires warned the victim there would be significant consequences if the relationship became public.

After pleading guilty to 6 counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust, Squires was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months’ imprisonment. The sentence was referred as being unduly lenient to the Court of Appeal and was increased to 4 years 8 months.

After the hearing the Solicitor General, Lucy Frazer QC MP, said:

“Squires was placed in a position of trust, a position that she repeatedly abused. Any mitigating circumstances in her case were not sufficient to justify such a lenient sentence and the Court of Appeal has rectified that.”

Published 14 June 2019