A MAN who claims he was abused by a teacher at a Jewish boarding school in Wallingford from the age of 11 told Oxford Crown Court how he felt “trapped”.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is one of eight men who claimed they were abused by former teacher Trevor Bolton at Carmel College between 1968 and 1988.

Bolton, 78, who now lives in Essex, is facing a total of 25 charges which the prosecution says cover a much longer catalogue of abuse.

Yesterday, the first of the alleged victims to give evidence described how he first started going to Bolton’s private flat at the college because he felt homesick.

He said: “I was homesick and I remember him saying to me ‘if you’re homesick and have difficulties sleeping come to my flat and we’ll talk it through’.”

He said within his first few weeks he had gone to Bolton’s room and sat talking on several occasions.

Within a “relatively rapid period of time” he said that progressed to getting into Bolton’s bed with him, both of them naked, on a regular basis.

He said: “I can’t tell you what the source of the discomfort was [that made me go there]... but there’s a point when you realise what’s going on – you feel trapped.

“At that age I thought ‘I’m not sure this is a normal thing to do, but it is what it is’.”

Bolton later befriended the boy’s parents, took him on regular holidays and started paying his parents money, which the boy believed was for school fees.

The trial is due to last two weeks.