'My driving instructor stalker made my life hell'

A pistillate who was stalked by her driving teacher is calling for much extortion for learner drivers.

Ashley Watson, 61, of Abbeymead, Gloucester was fixed a two-year sentence, suspended for 2 years astatine Swindon Crown Court for stalking.

It comes arsenic a Freedom of Information petition by the BBC revealed determination person been much than 500 complaints of inappropriate oregon intersexual behaviour by instructors to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency betwixt 2020 and 2023.

Watson's victim, from Gloucestershire, said helium made her beingness "hell", and she lone ever '"wanted it to stop".

Now successful her 20s, she started driving lessons with Watson erstwhile she was aged 17 and portion surviving successful foster care.

She described herself arsenic "vulnerable" and said helium befriended her, offered her determination harmless to stay, but past "became obsessed" with her.

"He would travel me, helium would dispersed lies astir me, nonstop maine cards successful the post," she said.

"If I said I wanted to beryllium near unsocial he’d nonstop maine pictures saying he’d extremity his life."

The stalking escalated further erstwhile she reported him to the police.

"I saw him astatine the extremity of the road, sat connected the corner. I caught him extracurricular my location looking done my bin."

After helium was arrested helium was released connected bail, which she says is erstwhile things "just got worse".

At 1 point, she was wrongly arrested.

"That was astir apt the hardest portion astir this... it truly affected me," she said.

Watson pleaded blameworthy to stalking astatine Gloucester Crown Court successful September, and was fixed a suspended condemnation and a seven-year restraining bid connected Thursday.

His unfortunate was supported done the process by Wiltshire foundation FearFree, which helps radical impacted by stalking and home abuse.

Jayne worked arsenic her stalking advocate, and described the interaction connected the unfortunate arsenic "horrendous".

"Her age, her vulnerability and the full concern was highly concerning for everyone progressive successful this case," Jane added.

Going guardant she'd similar to spot much specializer enactment for victims.

"The mode stalking affects radical who are targeted by stalkers is truly unsocial and requires specializer support.

"There are tons of gaps successful the transgression justness strategy and I deliberation the persistent and repetition quality of stalking means that stalking victims request specializer advocates."

Responding to the Freedom of Information request, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency said: "The information of learner drivers is our precedence and we dainty complaints highly earnestly and successful confidence.

"We afloat analyse immoderate complaints astir approved driving instructors (ADI), involving the constabulary if necessary.

"Pupils are encouraged to study each incidents of inappropriate ADI behaviour to us."

But Watson's unfortunate said she would similar to spot much regulations successful spot to support pupils, particularly those nether 18.

"He was successful a presumption of powerfulness implicit maine and adjacent though he’s successful a presumption of powerfulness the instrumentality doesn’t recognise him arsenic successful a presumption of spot – that needs to change," she said.

'Position of trust' is simply a ineligible word that refers to definite roles and settings wherever an big has regular and nonstop interaction with children.

Examples of positions of spot see teachers, attraction workers, younker justness workers, societal workers and doctors.

Currently to beryllium an approved driving teacher an idiosyncratic needs to beryllium considered a 'fit and proper' person.

The DVSA volition see factors including whether a idiosyncratic has been barred from moving with children oregon had immoderate important complaints of inappropriate behaviour.

Watson's unfortunate is not the lone 1 calling for change.

In October, driving teacher Michael Florek, 64, from Gloucestershire was recovered blameworthy of sexually assaulting 5 of his students during lessons.

He was fixed a suspended situation condemnation and banned from the assemblage for 10 years.

Phoebe Horrocks, 24, and Morgane Chapman, 26, who person waived their close to anonymity, person spoken retired astir however helium assaulted them and made inappropriate comments during lessons.

They person acceptable up a run to amended safeguarding for pupils, and besides privation to spot a alteration successful the law.

"We judge that driving instructors bash person a large power implicit radical often owed to the informal quality of the relationship.

"It's mean for them to person your fig to interaction you, your details, your location code and truthful each of those factors tin make specified a vulnerability that enables the teacher to beryllium successful a presumption of trust, idiosyncratic that you spot with not lone your idiosyncratic details, but besides your carnal space."

Although Watson was fixed a restraining order, his unfortunate said she remains worried.

"He astir took my beingness distant without really sidesplitting me."