Vicarious liability of local authority for abusive acts of teacher

Haringey London Borough Council v FZO [2020] EWCA Civ 180

A local authority has been held to be vicariously liable for acts of sexual abuse carried out by a teacher who was employed by them, and who had groomed and sexually abused a 13-year-old pupil while he was at school and afterwards. The abuse of a position of trust which had continued after the victim’s 18th birthday meant that he had submitted, rather than consented, to subsequent sexual activity. The Court of Appeal held that the trial judge had been correct to consider both parties’ credibility in determining whether to disapply the limitation period.