Police halted investigation into 'married teacher's affair with 15-year-old schoolgirl' the DAY BEFORE they fled to France

Officers had seized the 15-year-old's mobile phone after allegations that the married 30-year-old had sent her ‘intimate photographs’ of himself, prompting the couple to 'panic' and runaway to Bordeaux, the jury was told.

But by the time they absconded, detectives had already told senior teachers at the school that they hadn’t found any ‘evidence’ on the girl's phone and so had decided not to examine Forrest's mobile, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Subsequent police enquiries after Forrest was arrested following eight days on the run last September revealed they had exchanged topless pictures of each other, the jury has heard.

Teachers at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, spoke to Forrest seven times in seven months about their concerns over him and the ‘infatuated’ schoolgirl, the court heard.

On one occasion as he denied the claims, he tearfully accused the schoolgirl of ‘telling lies’ about him, it was alleged.

Staff at the school were also worried that about the ‘stress’ the rumours were causing to Forrest and the ‘damage’ it might do to his reputation, the court heard. 

Police launched an investigation on September 14 last year after being tipped off about the affair and took the schoolgirl’s phone for analysis five days later.

But on September 20th Alicja Bobela, the school’s assistant head in charge of child protection, received a message from a detective.

She told the court: ‘They said that there was no evidence on the girl’s phone so they were not going to seize Jeremy’s phone.

‘We were left with the idea we had to follow up the investigation. We didn’t know where to begin.’

Later that evening Forrest drove the schoolgirl to Dover where they boarded a cross-Channel ferry amid their fears that their relationship was about to be exposed, the court has heard.

Forrest was first warned by a colleague to keep his distance from the schoolgirl at the end of a school trip to Los Angeles in February, the jury was told.

Evidence: Bishop Bell CofE teachers Alicja Bobela (left), Neil Pittman and Emma Tremaman (right) all told the court how they had spoken to Forrest about his relationship with the student

Emma Tremaman, who taught ICT and business, said she spoke to Forrest about the rumours that the girl had a crush on him and that he was showing her favoritism.

She told the court: ‘He just said thank you. He didn’t mention if had noticed the crush.’

Neil Pittman, the head of the upper school, also spoke to Forrest soon after they returned from Los Angeles after being approached by two pupils concerned about the stories going around the school. 

The science teacher, who has 20 years experience, said:  ‘It’s not unusual for teenage girls to have a crush on a male teacher.

‘But it unusual for it to be discussed openly. It is the only time pupils have come to me to say they are concerned about what they are hearing.

‘Because it was unusual I felt we should take the unusual step of discussing it with him.’

Mr Pittman said during the meeting Forrest agreed to keep his distance from the schoolgirl – but later saw him ‘laughing and joking’ with her at the school gates.

Teacher in the dock: Jeremy Forrest's 15-year-old pupil, giving evidence by videolink yesterday, has described how their relationship had developed from a kiss in the classroom to sex at the cottage he shared with his wife

Forrest also arranged for her to be taken out of exclusion – where she had been sent for misbehaviour - so she could attend one of his maths revision lesson, he said.

Mr Pittman said: ‘Potentially, it wasn’t a wise thing to do.’

Ms Bobela told the court that she was told by pupils in May that Forrest had been sending the girl private Twitter messages describing his marriage problems and saying that he missed her. 

She contacted the local authority and also spoke to Forrest, who denied the claims.

After more rumours spread around the school the teenager was removed from Forrest’s maths class in mid-June.

Ms Bobela said: ‘We just felt as though Jeremy was under a lot of stress with his marriage so he didn’t need added stress with a girl with a crush on him.

‘We just though if we moved her away it might make life easier for him.’

After another teacher confronted Forrest last July about rumours that he was picking her up in his car, Forrest came to speak to Ms Bobela, the court heard.

She said: ‘He came to find me and talked to me he said that he did not know where this was coming from, why was she telling people these lies and what could he do to put it right.

‘He meant the girl telling her friends about what he was doing.

Educational establishment:Staff at Bishop Bell Church of England School (pictured) in Eastbourne warned Forrest off seven months before he went on the run

‘He meant the girl telling her friends about what he was doing.

‘He said "Why is she is doing this me?" because he was having problems with his marriage and this added on this.

‘He seemed quite distraught quite tearful, he was quite frantic, saying "what can I do to put this right."'

Ms Bobela said she was ‘stunned and amazed’ when Forrest suggested he phoned the schoolgirl’s mother.

She said she had tried to contact the mother by phone seven times without a single response. 

Mark Talbot, the school’s deputy head, also spoke to Forrest about concerns surrounding the schoolgirl.

He told the court: ‘I offered to meet him to make sure he was clear about professional boundaries because it was apparent to us that he was not heading the advice of Ms Bobela.’

Forrest seemed ‘frustrated’ and ‘irritated’ about being questioned about the issue again, Mr Talbot said.

‘He seemed very clear to me that there was ‘nothing going on’ in his words.’

Forrest earlier told another teacher that he was having problems with his marriage and that his wife, Emma, was being treated in the Priory, the court heard.

Mr Talbot told the hearing that he spoke to Forrest again for a second time May, when he described the relationship with his wife as ‘abusive’

Under cross examination Ronald Jaffa, for Forrest, suggested that Forrest had told him that his wife ‘hit him and threw things at him’ Mr Talbot said he did not recall Forrest saying any details about the alleged abuse.

Forrest denied one count of child abduction. The case continues.