A teacher described as ‘gregarious’ manipulated and had sex with a schoolboy after blindfolding and tying him to a bed, a court heard.

Deborah Franklin, 65, is accused of eight counts of gross indecency against a boy aged under 14 between 1991 and 1995 at a school in Hertfordshire. 

She is alleged to have met the complainant, now in his 40s, when he was as young as nine and joined her class. Ms Franklin was soon said to have been ‘ever present’ at the child’s home when she became his private tutor. 

Holding back tears, the alleged victim told the court on Monday: ‘Ms Franklin was very gregarious, high energy. We got on very well and I remember developing a strong friendship. It presented like a mate.

‘(There was) a lot of whispering, inside jokes, a lot of learning from her as you would from an older friend. She spoke about drugs, cigarettes, sex. Very adult things I could not get outside of that. I was the perfect candidate. I was interested to know those types of things.’

The complainant said he could still remember Franklin’s phone number, but had a ‘distinct memory’ of their relationship changing when he won a bet against her at school. 

The boy said he suggested ‘something childish’ as a reward for his victory, but recalled Ms Franklin responding: ‘I’m very surprised that’s what you want… because I would have thought you wanted to see me without clothes on.’

‘I remember feeling very surprised,’ the man said, before going on to describe the ‘first incident’ in the garage of his home. 

Deborah Franklin, 65, is accused of eight counts of gross indecency against a boy aged under 14 between 1991 and 1995

Franklin was wearing a ‘summery’ maxi dress and a bra and, the boy claimed, she said: “Do you want to touch me?”‘

He added: ‘So it began immediately. She kissed me on the lips and we started to touch.’

On the progression of the alleged incidents, he continued: ‘There was a ton of manipulation obviously, but at the time it did not present like that. At the time it was like: I am in a relationship. I’m your girlfriend. We have to be cautious.

‘I remember her clothes were off and she was teaching me how to touch a woman and I remember saying “It smells funny” and she was getting all defensive saying “That’s how women smell”. I remember her just telling me what to do and I would just do it.

‘I remember her distinctly calling out her husband’s name. It took me by surprise. I never saw their relationship. I thought I had the relationship. I remember thinking I had a competitor.’

The alleged victim gave police officers more information while speaking to them during interviews. He claimed another incident occurred in a bedroom when he was aged just 10.  

Through tears, he said: ‘She must have known that’s what that was. That’s kind of a standout memory that I have.’

He added of another encounter: ‘She asked me to come on the bed. I think it was her marital bed. I remember her tying me. She had a feather. Some kind of feathery gloves and fur. She tickled me. I remember being strapped down to the bed and blindfolded.

‘I guess I had no clue as to what was happening. I went with it and trusted her. It was mostly sensations around my body. All of my body. She was surprised I didn’t enjoy it. Being bound to the bed it disturbed me in my teenage life when I began to understand what it would have been for her.

‘At the time, I don’t think I was terrified. I wasn’t. I don’t remember being scared. But it began to bother me when I was around 14.  I was tied to the posts, blindfolded and she was tickling me naked and I remember her being surprised I didn’t enjoy it. Her kind of quizzing me why I didn’t enjoy it, what I didn’t like.

‘I was there for some hours,’ he recalled.

Franklin denies all of the charges brought against her

‘I remember us coming back to it later and having sex on her bed.’

Prosecutor Gavin Pottinger told jurors: ‘These are all offences, the prosecution say, of indecency carried out by Deborah Franklin, who was the teacher of the complainant – who was aged between nine and 13.

‘Police were not contacted until recently but you will hear the complainant did tell others much closer to the time about these incidents.

‘You will hear not only evidence of the complainant’s friends and family, but the nature of the relationship they saw between the complainant and his teacher and there are photos the complainant has produced.’

The complainant first reported the allegation to police in March 2024 and gave an ABE (achieving best evidence) interview in May this year.

Mr Pottinger said the complainant remembered Franklin being ‘young, energetic, and approachable’ when she became his teacher, and they developed a friendship when she started tutoring him at home.

Franklin, who remains on unconditional bail, left court wearing dark sunglasses and a silk headscarf while carrying a canvas shopping bag.

The teacher, of Radlett, Hertfordshire, denies eight counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14.

The trial continues.