Derbyshire teaching assistant jailed for sickening child abuse

The wife of a teaching assistant convicted of sickening child abuse has spoken of her “ultimate betrayal” after he was jailed for 15 years.

Bevan Perry, 36, pictured, was a special needs teaching assistant at a Derbyshire school.

He was found guilty of appalling sex offences against child victims at Derby Crown Court this week.

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Perry, who worked in a children’s home before starting at the school five years ago, repeatedly abused his victims from childhood into adulthood.

The offences included rape and sexual assault.

In the wake of Perry’s conviction, former wife Joanna Perry has spoken to the Derbyshire Times in a bid to set the record straight and move on from the horrific ordeal.

Joanna was married to the sex offender for 16 years. She said: “I had no idea he was a paedophile. This is the biggest betrayal anyone could ever do.

“It just feels like all my life has been a total lie. I don’t think I’ll ever get over what he has done to the victims.”

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Joanna said she met Perry when she was 19-years-old. She described him as “mentally abusive” behind closed doors – but never suspected he was a child abuser.

She said: “For him to do what he has done is the ultimate betrayal. I don’t think I’ll ever get over what has happened.

“There’s been days when I feel like I can’t go on – like I’m going to break,” she added. “But you’ve got to try and move on, you’ve got to keep fighting.

“He might be in jail now, but his poor victims will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. I will live with this forever too.”

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Joanna said she believed it was vital that Perry’s shocking crimes were reported in the press.

Perry was found guilty of nine offences in total, five of which involved a victim under the age of 14.

He was handed a 15 year jail-term and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.