Teacher who featured on Educating Cardiff spared jail after assaulting girl

Eleanor Storey, Press Association

A teacher who featured in the Channel 4 documentary series Educating Cardiff has been spared jail after admitting to sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Gareth Ritter, 44, of Bryngwyn, Monmouthshire, had initially denied the offence, but changed his plea to guilty in October after giving evidence at his trial.

He also previously admitted two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and another of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

On Wednesday, Judge Dyfed Llion Thomas sentenced Ritter to 33 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 30 months.

The court heard that Ritter had offered to give the victim a lift home following an event in Cardiff, before telling her he needed to make a short stop at a flat in Cardiff Bay.

“You made comments there of how she looked, and how she dressed, which made her feel awkward and uncomfortable,” the judge said.

“You put your hand on her lower back, uninvited, and then moved it down to her backside, again uninvited.”

The court heard that the victim moved away from Ritter and into the living room of the property, where he asked if she wanted to see the bedroom.

Ritter moved towards the girl, so her back was against the wall, before kissing her.

“She didn’t want any of this sexual contact that you inflicted on her that night,” the judge said.

“She made it quite clear that she didn’t want any form of sexual contact.”

The court heard the victim pushed Ritter away and told him “how she was a good girl and didn’t do this (sort of thing) because she went to a Christian school”.

Ritter did not apologise to his victim, but was rather described as “giggling” at what had happened.

However, while driving her home from the flat, Ritter instructed the girl not to tell anyone else about the incident.

The victim told police about the assault when they contacted her about indecent images of her found in Ritter’s possession.

Ritter was described in court as being well-known in his local community and someone who had been been respected in his role as a brass band conductor.

The judge said: “(The victim) told the court during the trial in evidence what many, many people who are victims of sexual assault say – who is going to believe me?

“Well, she is believed, Mr Ritter, and everyone knows that what she told the court was true.”