Former Music Teacher Sentenced to 12 Years for Decades of Sexual Offences

David Pickthall, a former music teacher with a background in film and television productions, has received a 12-year prison sentence. The sentencing is for numerous sexual offences against children, which occurred over a period exceeding four decades. Pickthall, who was awarded an MBE in 2015 for his contributions to education and charity, committed some of these offences while employed as a teacher at Brentwood School in Essex and as a choirmaster in the London Borough of Havering. The 66-year-old, residing on Ingrave Road, Brentwood, had previously pleaded guilty to 29 charges of sexual offences involving 19 victims during a hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court. During the sentencing, Judge Mary Loram KC stated: “For over two decades you took advantage of your position to abuse boys in your care.” Pickthall’s career included work in television and film, where he conducted music for Tracy Beaker: The Movie of Me in 2004 and oversaw the music for Julian Fellowes’ A Most Mysterious Murder in 2005. He also served as the musical arranger for Channel Four’s The Paul O’Grady Show. Evidence presented in court indicated that the offences occurred between the years 1980 and 2021, spanning locations such as Brentwood, Essex, and Upminster in east London. Prosecutor Fiona Ryan stated that Pickthall had confessed to a “range of predatory sexual offences, primarily committed against students and former students of his at Brentwood School”. She further noted that “he had a penchant for touching and spying on young adolescent boys and his desires were easily satisfied because of the positions he held”. Prior to his sentencing, Pickthall submitted a letter to the judge expressing regret for his conduct. The letter stated: “I am deeply sorry and ashamed of my charges. I recognise my actions were offensive and immoral. I wish I had behaved differently.” Judge Loram then addressed Pickthall, saying: “If you hadn’t been arrested you would have carried on. This is decades of abuse… that is who you are.” Several of Pickthall’s victims attended the court proceedings to witness his sentencing to 12 years, accompanied by a four-year extended licence period. Before delivering her sentencing remarks, Judge Loram commented that “there can be no sentence that will ever adequately reflect [the victims’] experiences”. She also added: “It’s not a quantification of their distress.” Survivors of Pickthall’s abuse presented their impact statements, with many conveying that his actions had marred their childhoods. One individual described the former choirmaster as a “pillar of the music community in Brentwood,” before concluding: “We are disgusted in you.” Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Chelsie Stamford of Essex Police remarked: “His actions indicate he believed he could offend with impunity and would never be caught.” She continued: “However thanks to the courage of the 19 men involved in this investigation, he has been proved wrong.” And concluded: “And he is now where he belongs – behind bars.”