A 66-year-old former history teacher from Southsea was sentenced to six years in prison on February 20, 2026, for sexual offences against a teenage student. Edward George Waller was convicted of three charges relating to the abuse of his position of trust during his time at St Anne’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College in Southampton.
The court heard that Waller groomed the 16-year-old girl in 2005 by sending her sexual messages and naked photos of himself. This behaviour led to sexual activity that resulted in the victim becoming pregnant. Waller was found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, though he was cleared of a separate charge of rape.
As part of his sentence, Waller will be placed on the sex offender register for the rest of his life. The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed that the case was brought forward following a specialist investigation by the Operation Marmion team into non-recent institutional abuse.
This prosecution is linked to a wider police effort known as Operation Stonecrop. This operation specifically looks into historical reports of abuse involving staff members at the school between 2004 and 2006.
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