A Merseyside primary school teacher has been convicted of abusing his position and inappropriately touching his pupils over a number of years.

Following a long trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Charles Ellis, 60, has been found guilty of ten counts of sexual assaulting young girls between the ages of 7 to 10. He was acquitted of a further count.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that he abused his position as a teacher, by inappropriately touching the girls underneath their clothes.

The offending generally took place when the pupil was with Mr Ellis at his desk or on their own. Several pupils were assaulted on a number of occasions over a period of eight years.

The offending followed a similar pattern and left the pupils feeling confused and uncomfortable.

The offending came to light when some of the children told their parents about it. Another member of staff also raised her concerns after she had witnessed Mr Ellis in situations with pupils that seemed inappropriate.

Mr Ellis will be sentenced on 19 December 2019.

Andrew Creswell, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This behaviour exploited the innocence of these children and abused the trust that they had placed in their teacher.

“Mr Ellis did what he did for his own sexual gratification, with no thought of the effect it was having on the children themselves, who did not understand what was going on.

“This was a complicated prosecution by the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit of CPS Mersey-Cheshire that involved several victims who were targeted over a number of years.

“The jury have seen through Mr Ellis’ lies and returned guilty verdicts. But, unfortunately, as is often the situation in these types of cases, it does not necessarily end here for the victims - this could well affect them for the rest of their lives. We hope, however, that these verdicts will bring them and their families some comfort that justice has been served.”