A FORMER children’s television presenter has admitted sexually assaulting a boy almost 60 years ago.
Author and Dartmoor expert John Earle was a teacher and deputy head at Upcott House Preparatory School in Okehampton when the assaults were committed against a boy aged nine to 13 between 1957 and 1961.
The school, with 53 pupils, was owned and run by his father at the time but later merged with another school and moved to Highampton before closing.
Earle went on to work in television, presenting a short lived children’s programme called Treasure House between 1964 and 1965. He became a familiar figure on television in the late 1960s as co-presenter of the science show Tom-Tom from 1965 to 1970, where one of the other stars was a young Jan Leeming.
Earle went on to narrate two Jackanory stories during the show’s heyday in 1971.
The Jackanory appearances marked the end of his broadcasting career.
He later ran the Dartmoor Expedition Centre near Widecombe-in-the-Moor until it was sold last year. He became one of the leading experts on trekking on the moors and wrote guides entitled Walking on Dartmoor, Walking on Exmoor and the Quantocks, A Boot up Dartmoor Tors and A Boot up Dartmoor Rivers.
Earle, aged 87, now of Upton Pyne near Exeter, admitted six counts of indecently the same boy when he was aged nine to 13 between September 1957 and August 1961.
The case at Exeter Crown Court was adjourned by Judge Mr Justice Dingemans so his defence barrister Mr Nicolas Gerasimidis can obtain medical reports.
The judge told him: ’All sentencing options, including immediate imprisonment, will be available to the court.’
He ordered Earle to sign on the sex offenders’ register immediately. He ordered the probation service to prepare a pre sentence report.
Mr Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said the victim had been consulted and Earle’s pleas are acceptable.
Mr Gerasimidis said: ’We are in the process of obtaining medical records. The defendant has a number of underlying conditions, principally related to his old age.’