A PINNER Latin teacher subjected three pupils to a sustained campaign of sexual abuse, a court heard today.

Michael Gordon, 55, of Thrush Green, regularly stroked the youngsters’ thighs and pressed himself up against their backsides, it is claimed.

The boys, who were all aged between 10 and 13 at the time, said the abuse made them feel “shivery” and “horrible”, jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told.

The teacher’s behaviour, both during and after class, continued over a three-year period, before a fellow member of staff realised what was going on, it is alleged.

Prosecutor Nicola Merrick told the court that Mr Gordon had taught Latin and French at the private London prep school, outside Harrow, since around 2001.

She said: “These are not the most serious allegations of sexual assault you will ever hear about, but they are unpleasant, they are nasty, they are a breach of trust by a teacher, and they led the boys to be worried and upset.”

The court heard that married father-of-one Mr Gordon began to assault his first victim when the boy was in year six and aged 10.

Miss Merrick said: “He said that when it happened, he felt shivery and really horrible. These events were noted by other kids in the class.

“It became a running joke in the class, and he said that when Mr Gordon was doing what he was doing to him, the boys would start laughing and giggling, and he said that made him feel awkward and unpleasant.”

The court heard how the teacher would touch and rub the top of the boy’s leg with his hand, and would also rub his groin against his backside when the classroom was empty.

The court heard that the boy tried to tell his parents and the school’s deputy head, but did not give details, and Mr Gordon, who has 25 years’ experience in the job, continued to work at the school.

It was only when another teenager saw the youngster looking “ashen” and asked him what was going on that he told her: “I think Mr Gordon likes me too much”.

When police interviewed the boy, he identified the other two victims, who gave similar accounts of the abuse they had suffered, the court heard.

One told investigators that he had been the victim of sexual assault ‘about once a week’ while he was in Mr Gordon’s class.

Mr Gordon denies 14 counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and four of sexual assault between September 1, 2006 and April 9, 2009.

The trial continues.

Pinner Latin teacher not guilty of sexually assaulting pupils