Female prep school teacher who is accused of having sex with boy ‘was found under the covers with 10-year-old by his sister’, court hears

A teacher accused of having sex with his ten-year-old pupil on ‘countless’ occasions was found with her under the covers by his sister, a court heard.

Deborah Franklin, 65, allegedly blindfolded the boy and tied him to her marital bed for hours so she could sexually tickle him with a feather during a years-long harassment campaign.

He faces eight allegations of gross indecency with a child under 14 between 1991 and 1995, when he was a teacher at a prep school in Hertfordshire.

Franklin is said to have met the alleged victim, who is now in his 40s and attended his class when he was nine.

She claimed they had “numerous” sexual encounters and said she was led to believe she was having an affair with Franklin, who was in her 30s when the alleged abuse began.

The man said in a recorded interview: ‘I remember him taking off his clothes and teaching me how to touch a woman and I remember saying: ‘That smells funny’… I remember him just telling me what to do and that’s what I would do.’

The complainant’s siblings told St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday that the teacher spent a lot of time at their home.

Her sister told jurors that she once found Franklin reading a book under the covers. [the complainant]’.

Describing his impression of Franklin at the time, he said: ‘He was fun, charismatic. I thought he was cool, I liked him. He was a very nice person.

‘He was at home often. He became a family friend. Saturday afternoons arrived. ‘I’ve seen him a lot.’

Asked if he suspected anything was wrong, he said: ‘I knew something was up, he told my dad.’

He said his brother reported Franklin to the police after learning that he was still working at the same school in 2024.

A former schoolmate recalls that Franklin and the complainant had a “very close” and “flirtatious” relationship, so much so that they would hold hands on school trips.

Another friend said the pair would sit ‘very close’ to each other while watching TV.

They said: ‘He would sit in Miss Franklin’s arms a lot, the way you see a boyfriend and a girlfriend sitting together and occasionally tickling her arm.

‘He was laughing, talking and whispering a lot. I felt so out of it. ‘I felt left out, he was my best friend.’

Explaining that they gradually became aware of Franklin’s alleged harassment, the friend said: ‘The first detail I received was that Ms Franklin had undressed in front of him.

Franklin denies all charges against him

‘She said they kissed, he touched her, he performed sexual activity on her, but she didn’t say what it was. I’d say that’s the extent of the detail.’

The complainant’s brother, who testified in court, also remembered Franklin as ‘always nice, energetic, very cool’ and ‘someone you would be happy to hang out with’.

He recalled that Franklin watched television with his older brother, spent time in his bedroom, and that his brother went to the teacher’s house at least once.

The brother said Franklin once invited him to accompany him to a heavy metal concert and made comments about anal sex.

He told the court: ‘He turned to look at me. He commented on anal sex. I asked if her husband liked it.

‘He told me that pillows are very important because if you have sex with pillows they allow you to go deeper.’

Prosecutor Gavin Pottinger asked him: ‘Did you do this? [your brother] Did he ever tell you there was something going on between him and Debbie?’

He replied: ‘It has been brought up very often that something is going on. He never told me the details, and I never asked. It emerged over a lifetime. It appeared constantly in different contexts.’

The complainant described the first alleged incident in his garage: ‘He kissed me on the lips and we started touching.’

Regarding the alleged development of events, he continued: ‘There was obviously a lot of manipulation, but it wasn’t like that at the time. At the time it was like: I’m in a relationship. I am your girlfriend. We must be careful.

‘I remember his clothes being taken off, him teaching me how to touch a woman and me saying ‘She smells funny’ and him getting defensive saying ‘That’s what women smell like’. I remember you telling me what to do and that’s what I would do.

‘I remember her clearly saying her husband’s name. It surprised me. I’ve never seen their relationship. I thought I was in a relationship. ‘I remember thinking I had a rival.’

She spoke of ‘numerous’ sexual encounters in which the married Franklin tied her to the marital bed, blindfolded her, tickled her with a feather and had sex with her.

He said: ‘I don’t think I was horrified at the time. It wasn’t me. I don’t remember being afraid.

‘But when I was 14 it started to bother me… I was tied to poles, blindfolded and he was tickling me naked and I remember him being surprised that I didn’t like it. ‘It makes me question why I don’t like it, what I don’t like.’

‘I was there for a few hours,’ he said.

‘I remember we got back to it later and we had sex in her bed.’

During his police interview, Franklin said: ‘This is ridiculous, I’m sorry, but it’s not true and I don’t understand why anyone would say such terrible things. ‘I’m surprised, I’m shocked.’

He said of the complainant: ‘I don’t remember much about him. ‘Like every child, he moved on to the next school.’

Franklin, of Radlett, Herts, denies eight charges of gross indecency with a child under 14.

The trial continues.