One of predator paedophile Gabriel Uttley’s victims says his conviction is a “weight off the shoulders” as they urged other abuse sufferers to speak out.

Uttley indecently assaulted four children while he was a teacher at Beauchamps High School in Wickford and has been jailed for four years.

The sentence comes two-and-a-half years after one of his victims became involved in the investigation by police.

The victim described the conviction and sentence as “a weight off the shoulders”.

They said: “I put it to bed as a teenager. Nothing else came of it.

“But the last couple of years I have had to look at it in adult eyes.

“You think ‘what more could I have done?’

“What he did was abuse, I recognise that.”

Uttley has since left the school, and until his arrest and charges he lived in Yorkshire.

While the ordeal of the investigation and court case has been tough on the victim, they have urged others in similar situations to come forward and tell people if they have been abused.

They said: “Make sure they speak out.

“It’s been a difficult couple of years but the right verdict is here.

“The support has been offered, the support has been there, and there’s no chance of them doing it again.

“It’s been hard - and it will be hard - but it’s the right thing to do.”