Husband of female chemistry teacher accused of sexually abusing two pupils in the 1980s tells court ‘she had congenital condition which stopped her having sex’
The husband of Sally-Anne Bowen, a former chemistry teacher accused of sexually abusing two teenage pupils at a north London school in the late 1980s, told her trial that she has a congenital condition affecting her ability to have penetrative sex for long periods. Bowen, 65, denies seven counts of indecent assault relating to allegations that she had a sexual relationship with one pupil at Christ's College in Finchley and dressed provocatively to attract boys. The case, being heard at Harrow Crown Court, turns partly on medical evidence about whether the alleged abuse was physically feasible given her condition.
Bowen's husband, Darren Lee Scotchbrook, testified that throughout their 36-year relationship he has had to be careful during sex to avoid hurting her, describing their first encounter as "more of a process than lovemaking". The court heard agreed medical evidence from two gynaecologists that Bowen has a "longitudinal vaginal septum", diagnosed in 1990 and surgically removed in 2017, and that while full penetration would be painful, experts agreed it would have been possible. Prosecutors allege Bowen had sex with one boy 20 to 30 times over five months, while Bowen denies dressing suggestively, telling jurors she was in her mid-20s and would not have dressed like Margaret Thatcher. She was previously cleared of one further indecent assault charge.
- Ex-chemistry teacher Sally-Anne Bowen denies abusing two pupils in the 1980s
- Husband testified she has a condition limiting penetrative sex
- Gynaecologists say alleged abuse was medically feasible despite condition
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Sally-Anne Bowen, a 65-year-old former chemistry teacher, is on trial at Harrow Crown Court accused of sexually abusing two teenage pupils at Christ's College, a school in Finchley, north London, during the late 1980s. She denies seven counts of indecent assault, including allegations that she had a sexual relationship with one pupil and dressed provocatively around the boys. She was previously cleared of a further, separate charge.
A key part of the defence centres on Bowen's medical history. She has a condition called a longitudinal vaginal septum, diagnosed in 1990 and surgically corrected in 2017, which her defence says made penetrative sex painful and difficult for her at the time of the alleged offences. Her husband has given evidence about this as part of the case, while medical experts have also given evidence on whether the alleged abuse would have been physically possible.
The case matters because it involves historical allegations of abuse by a teacher against pupils in her care, and because it turns partly on contested medical evidence rather than solely on witness testimony. The trial is ongoing, with the jury weighing both the accounts of alleged victims and the medical and personal evidence put forward in Bowen's defence.