We wish to speak with anyone that has any information on David Pickthall, who has admitted sexually abusing children spanning decades from the 1980’s.
Pickthall worked as a choirmaster and as a teacher at Brentwood School. Pickthall retired in 2014.
Pickthall who is now 65 years old, has already admitted 37 counts of sexual offences against 19 people and will be sentenced on 11 November at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Pickthall was placed in a position of trust and repeatedly abused this position whilst at Brentwood School.
It is likely that the charges against him are likely to be the tip of the iceberg, with further survivors yet to come forward.
Pickthall had been awarded an MBE in 2015 for his services in education. Pickthall also spent some of his career working on TV and film sets with young children.
The culture at the time when his reign of abuse commenced was not to speak out about childhood abuse and specifically sexual abuse. We frequently see survivors who are only able to speak out about the abuse they suffered years if not decades after it took place especially when there has been a period of grooming from a person in a position of trust.
