Teacher ‘who had sex with pupil’ tells court ‘I wasn’t going to dress like Margaret Thatcher’ after tight-clothing claim

A TEACHER accused of having sex with a pupil today told a court “I wasn’t going to dress like Margaret Thatcher” in her mid-20s. Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, allegedly abused two boys at Christ’s College in Finchley, North London when they were aged 14 and 15 in the 1980s. Sally-Anne Bowen is accused of having sex with a teen boy Credit: PA One of the boys said she wore short skirts and tight jeans Credit: PA The teacher – then aged 25 – allegedly “engaged in flirtatious conduct” with the pupils and “engaged in sexual relationships with them both”. Jurors heard she allegedly dressed in “short, very tight skirts” and would walk around the school with her “t**s sticking out”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Giving evidence, Bowen denied wearing short outfits and said she “would not have been allowed to get away it”. She was asked to step out of the witness box at Harrow Crown Court to show the general length of her skirts at the time. Placing her hands a few inches above her knees, Bowen said: “They were shorter than I’m wearing now – they were not mini skirts.” She reminded jurors that she was then aged in her mid-20s, adding as she stepped back into the witness box: “I wasn’t going to dress like Margaret Thatcher.” One former pupil Tobias Oliver, who did not know the two alleged victims, previously told how Bowen caused “a stir” when she started at the school, which normally had male or older female teachers. He said: “She dressed and behaved more like my teenage female friends than the other teachers. She would wear short, very tight skirts, a tight T-shirt or vest top and a loose cardigan. Most read in The Sun Bowen taught chemistry at the all-boys’ school Credit: PA She allegedly compared herself to a porn mag model Credit: PA “The topics of conversation in class often strayed away from chemistry and became quite sexual. “She would often chew on the end of her hair or cardigan. She would brush her hand over her breasts … it was more like what you would see in a Sabrina Carpenter video than what you would see in a classroom.” Mr Oliver also told jurors that Bowen had no boundaries and “felt more like trying to be one of us, like our friend, than a teacher”. Bowen claimed she would be subject to some inappropriate comments from pupils as she was young and one of the only female teachers at the school – but insisted she simply ignored the behaviours. Giving evidence previously, the first alleged victim told jurors he slept with Bowen “about 20 or 30 times”. He also denied being a “fantasist” who invented the allegations – branding the suggestion “quite insulting”. In a police interview, the boy said Bowen would dress in a “sexually provocative” way while teaching chemistry at the all-boys’ school. He described her outfits as “tight Levi’s jeans and black skinny pants that you could see everything in, and a black mini skirt”. The victim also told police how on one occasion, the boys were looking at a porn magazine when Bowen took it from them. Jurors heard he expected her to confiscate it but she instead “pointed to an image of a naked woman” and said “that’s what my p***y looks like”. Bowen allegedly kissed another pupil Credit: Central News She has denied the charges Credit: Central News Bowen later told the boy she was leaving the UK to stay at a kibbutz in Israel, the court heard. The boy first disclosed the alleged abuse to a partner, who told him to go to police. When Bowen was interviewed in 2015, she claimed he was a “bit of a nuisance” and “besotted” with her. Jurors heard she described the sexual relationship claims as “just pure fantasy”. As a result of the allegations, Bowen faced a Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) hearing in 2022. The teacher is also accused of letting the second boy touch her breasts and kiss her during lunch at a cafe near the school. The court heard he later read about the TRA hearing online and came forward after encouragement from his wife and family. He claimed he was “goaded” by other boys at the school into kissing “young and attractive” Bowen. The pupil also remembered touching her breasts and putting his hand near her crotch – to which “she would not react negatively”, it was said. In his police interview, he said Bowen was “possibly the hottest teacher in our school”. He added: “She was young, she was pretty. She had long straight blonde hair. She had nice eyes. ‘She walked around in a Levi 501 T-shirt. You know I said not good language, but she would walk around with her t*ts sticking out. “I think she knew it. She had that level of confidence. Some people like that, want that, appreciate it. “But she never really caught my eye. I was a bit of a goth. I liked girls with dark hair and she wasn’t. “People would always have conversations. ‘Who’s the fittest teacher? Who would you want to be with the most?’ And she was always at the top of everyone’s list.” Bowen denies eight counts of indecent assault. The trial continues.