Simon Warr

Simon Roderick Warr (9 September 1953 – 22 February 2020) was a British radio broadcaster, television personality, author and teacher. Warr was acquitted of allegations of historical child abuse and wrote a book about his experiences.

Early life and education

Simon Roderick Warr was born in Haverfordwest in South Wales, on 9 September 1953. He was orphaned at the age of six. Warr was educated at the Royal Masonic School for Boys in Hertfordshire. where he taught French, German and Latin. He also coached the 1st XV rugby squad.

From 1983 until his arrest in 2012, Warr taught languages at the Royal Hospital School, Ipswich.

Television Warr's television career began in 2003 with BBC1's Rule the School. He was subsequently cast in the role of languages teacher and later headmaster in Channel 4's historical reality show That'll Teach 'Em which ran for three series from 2003 to 2006 and aimed to find out whether the standards of 1950s and 1960s boarding schools could produce better academic achievement for GCSE students. He also appeared in Channel 5's The Nightmare Neighbours Next Door.

His television appearances also included being a guest on The One Show

In March 2017 his book Presumed Guilty Presumed Guilty is Warr's account of spending almost two years on bail accused of historical abuse offences and his battle to clear his name after being acquitted of all charges. Presumed Guilty was reviewed by David Aaronovitch in The Times.

Shortly before his death he had completed the final draft of his second novel, provisionally entitled Swinefest, a fictional account of a criminal conspiracy by former pupils to frame a teacher for historical sexual abuse in pursuit of compensation by a school insurer.

False allegations of historical child abuse In December 2012, Warr was arrested and questioned by police following a complaint of historical child sexual abuse made by a man who had been a pupil at St George's School, Stowmarket, where Warr had taught. The school had already come under scrutiny in 1982 by investigative journalist Roger Cook over headmaster Derek Slade's use of corporal punishment

Warr was subsequently charged with indecent assault on three former pupils, two from St George's School and one from the Royal Hospital School. followed by his 2017 book Presumed Guilty. He also appeared on Jeremy Vine, along with Labour MP Sarah Champion, to debate how historical sexual allegations should be handled by police.

Death On 20 February 2020, Warr announced on Twitter that he had a "very serious health condition"; he died of pancreatic and liver cancer in the early hours of 22 February 2020.