A SECONDARY school teacher had sex with a young pupil after a campaign of targeting and grooming her.

Married Michael Stone even had sex with the vulnerable 13-year-old girl in his bed and the besotted victim thought they were in a relationship.

The victim kept the 12 months of abuse secret for decades until she finally reluctantly revealed the details to her partner in November 2018 after watching a programme about paedophiles called ‘The Unforgotten’.

Today 68-year-old Stone was unanimously convicted by a jury of nine offences of indecent assault and indecency and has been remanded into custody until next Friday for sentence.

Judge Gary Woodhall told Stone that it was “inevitable” there would be a custodial sentence but added, “What I have to grapple with is the length of sentence.” He ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

During his trial the jury heard that there was no charge before them relating to Stone having sexual intercourse with the child in his Frodsham home because there was a time limit for the appropriate charge to have been brought.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Stone, who was a teacher in Merseyside began sexually abusing the girl when she was 12 and bought her perfume for her 13th birthday.

He audaciously had sexual activity with her in a classroom, where he taught computer studies, after getting her to stay behind after lessons finished and he also took her out in his car for outings to secluded beauty spot, Hale Lighthouse, and sexually molested her.

Sarah Holt, prosecuting, told the court that Stone “targeted and groomed” her. “He was nice to her, took an interest in her and treated her like an adult. He bought her perfume and was someone she could turn to when things were difficult at home.”

She said that their relations went far beyond that of a supportive teacher helping a pupil and he sexually molested her over a 12 month period, “abusing the trust placed in him.”

Miss Holt said that for many years the girl thought she had been in a relationship with him but as time passed thinking about it made her feel “dirty and ashamed” and after she had a child of her own she realised what had happened between them was wrong.

After the first time he kissed and sexually assaulted her in the computer room he told her “no one could ever know about this.”

Their ‘relationship’ continued and they met up in school holidays and he took her to the lighthouse at Hale on several occasions where sexual activity took place in his car.

Their last sexual liaison took place when he drove her to his home while his wife, who was also a teacher, was away, He took her to bed and while they were naked he had sexual intercourse with her.

That was the last occasion they had sexual activity and he stopped asking her to stay behind after school and nothing more was said about what had happened.

Stone, of Silverdale Close, Frodsham, denied all the offences, which occurred in the 1990’s, before the jury. They were told he had admitted two offences of indecently assaulting her involving kissing her and giving evidence he maintained that they had just been “pecks” on the cheek which happened about a dozen times.

When it was pointed out that such behaviour would not be considered indecent assault he claimed that he had been wrongly advised by his solicitors.