“The admitted behavior is a serious departure from the standards expected of a teacher,” Paul Heathcote, an official from the Department of Education in England, said. He was referring to a bizarre incident that happened nearly three decades ago but is just now coming to the public’s attention.
53-year-old Stephen Pieter Grobbelaar, a former educator at Grey High School in Johannesburg, South Africa, admitted before a disciplinary board in England to hypnotizing a 16-year-old student in 1987 and then molesting him.
It all started when the troubled teen came to his teacher for help. He was worried about his final math exams and needed guidance. Grobbelaar, who, in addition to being both a teacher and a counselor, was also an expert in hypnotherapy, told the boy his math would improve if he allowed himself to be hypnotized and made to believe he enjoyed the subject. The student agreed and the two met up again later in Grobbelaar’s office.
Once the student was successfully put into a trance, Grobbelaar slipped down the teen’s tracksuit pants and performed oral sex on him. Then he pulled down his own pants, stood behind the kid, and rubbed his wiener against his bare butt for a few minutes before pulling the kid’s pants back up then snapping his fingers to awaken him.
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Upon opening his eyes, the teen had no recollection of the assault.
A week later, Grobbelaar approached the student again and said the hypnosis had to be “reinforced” in order to be effective. They arranged a second hypnotherapy session. This time, Grobbelaar put the teen into a trance and told him he would remember absolutely nothing of the previous week’s sexual assault.
The second hypnosis almost worked. Until three years later when the boy suddenly remembered everything that had happened. He contacted the school and Grobbelaar abruptly resigned from his job, fleeing from South Africa to Britain.
Years passed. Grobbelaar found another teaching job in the U.K. 11 years ago, he accepted a high paying position at Windlesham House, a prestigious prep school in West Sussex. Then last August, the student tracked him down and contacted administrators to alert them of Grobbelaar’s pervy past.
A spokeswoman for the school said officials were “shocked” by the allegations and immediately distanced themselves from Grobbelaar, telling The Argus, “This incident is totally unrelated to Windlesham and it happened long before he arrived with us. There was absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing while he was with us, and this is just totally unrelated to Windlesham.”
Grobbelaar admitted the allegations before a teacher misconduct panel late last month. The panel ruled he had engaged in “unacceptable professional conduct.”
Panel chairwoman Janet Draper said: “The panel recognizes that Grobbelaar’s actions seriously damaged a pupil aged 16 at the time and for many years after. Mr. Grobbelaar was in a position of trust, which he breached in a deliberate and carefully planned manner.”
“Nevertheless,” she added, “the panel has been presented with a body of evidence which suggests that the teacher has shown remorse and insight, has attempted to atone for his actions over a considerable period and is ashamed of what he did.”
She continued: “The evidence before the panel suggests that this was an isolated incident involving one pupil, which took place over 25 years ago. The panel is also persuaded from his employment record and references as a teacher over the last 22 years that he is an excellent and inspirational teacher. The panel believes the risk of repetition of the behavior is low.”
The Department of Education ruled that Grobbelaar be banned indefinitely from teaching in any other school. The hypnotherapist now has 28 days to appeal the decision to London’s High Court.
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Tackle
That teacher is just disgusting and his ass should be looking at yrs behind bars. I hope the statute of limitations has not expired in South Africa.
And this has nothing to do with the teacher being gay. But rather everything to do with him being a sick perverted coward.
redcarpet30
Hmm. I was under the impression Hypnosis was total bs and only worked on people who deluded themselves into thinking it worked.
Still and assault like this is an assault, whether hypnosis was used, drugs, or just waiting for someone to sleep. I hope he gets the book thrown at him.
lcandela123
OK, I missed the part about “showing remorse” and “atoning over many years”. Didn’t he flee to Britain and keep mum for all of these years, only to admit it now, in the adult face of his accuser? What remorse and atonement? And how do we know that this is an isolated incident? Because the creep SAYS so? I bet there many more.
SportGuy
I hope this disgusting pedophile gets locked away.
Silas Wegg
Weird. This is like taking advantage of someone who’s fallen out on G.
And speaking of ephebophiles, the poz porn actor who raped the 14-year-old has been convicted and now faces at least 25 years behind bars.
Zekester
@redcarpet30: If you were under the impression that hypnosis is bs then you were under a misinformed impression. Are you not aware that hypnotherapy is endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association as an effective therapeutic modality for treating various maladaptive psychological, emotional and behavioral conditions? Having said that, as a professional hypnotherapist myself, I seriously doubt the veracity of this story. It’s chocked full of very questionable claims.
Roan
I’m still waiting for the QUEERTY Pedo/NAMBLA/KiddyDiddler posse to show up and defend the guy.
DuMaurier
“The admitted behavior is a serious departure from the standards expected of a teacher.”
Ah, more of that admirable British understatement.
enlightenone
GLOSS OVER and NO “shown remorse and insight, attempted atone[ment] for his actions over a considerable period and is ashamed of what he did!” WHERE IS THE CREDIBLE EVIDENCE????
Until pedophiles, molesters, and rapist/sexual assaults are criminalized and punished more than marijuana users and sellers crimes against bodies and souls WILL continue. Not being able to “teach” was just a slap on the wrist of a sexual DEVIANT!!!!
Alton
@Roan: I’m not interested in defending the guy, especially if he admitted to doing it, but I’m with the hypnotherapist above: I find this story pretty fishy.
Andreusz
There is no Grey High School in Johannesburg. There is one in Port Elizabeth, though.
crowebobby
@Roan: Okay, I’ll weigh in. No pedophile or member of NAMBLA would touch a 16-year-old with a 10-foor-pole. 16 is much too old for them. (I think “KiddyDiddler” and pedophile are synonyms.) That said, this guy is guilty of a sex crime and should be punished for it. (And for Silas Wegg: 14 is too young to be in the ephebe category.) Words don’t mean ANYTHING you want them to mean. The guy’s not “terrorist” either.
Errol Semple
Position of trust yes. Pedophile no.
tricky ricky
hypnosis does not work that way.
hannahn
@lcandela123:
I was one of his students. I would like you all to search the facebook group “friends of Stephen Grobbelaar” to see hundreds of posts made by his previous students at Windlesham house school. IT will make you think.
Keebler ILF
Reminds me of another story where three teen Florida students mysteriously died in the same year (2 by suicide) after they were hypnotized by their High School Principal. He hypotized about 75 other people, but so far nothing sexual has been alleged.
rand503
I think I’ll have to learn that hypnotic technique. Some people still owe me money.
Juanjo
@Zekester: I agree. There is a lot that is very fishy about this story.