Opening the prosecution case on Tuesday, Michael Hayton KC told jurors that Mr Patience was an “educated man” who had roots in Scotland. He said: “He was a man who had access to money.

During cross-examination, Ms Fulstow's barrister Michael Hayton KC suggested to Mr Hiller his claims she helped plan the attack were "absolute fantasy and not true", which Mr Hillier denied.

The offences are said to have taken place during the 1970s and 80s. Prosecutor Michael Hayton QC said pupils at the school often came from "challenging family backgrounds including broken homes ...