A married ex-Royal Navy member has been jailed for 12 years for historical sexual abuse at a school.

David Hennessy, 75, of Westfields, Narborough, near Swaffham, was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday, after being convicted of six counts, following a 12-week trial.

Hennessy, Colwyn Baker, 71, and Nigel Putman, 62, were residential child care officers at the now-defunct Swaylands School in Penshurst, Kent, which catered for youngsters aged from eight to 16.

Baker, of Craighouse Avenue, Morningside, Edinburgh, was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of 20 counts, stretching back to 1963, and Putman, of Kings Road, Slough, Berkshire, was jailed for three years after being found guilty of two counts.

Sentencing the men, Judge Philip Statman said the case 'constitutes one of the worst possible breaches of trust that a court can deal with'.

And he added that the abuse suffered by the victims would be 'seared in their memory banks ... for the rest of their lives'.

Swaylands closed in 1994, but the court heard their abuse left many victims with life-long problems, according to victim impact statements.

Barnet council in north London ran the school, which was an institution for young people with moderate learning difficulties and later schooled boys with emotional and behavioural problems.

In a packed courtroom, victim impact statements were read by prosecutor Philip Bennetts QC, detailing the toll the abuse had on victims' lives.

One victim said in his statement: 'At the time I didn't realise it was wrong because the abuse was done in a way that made it seem okay.

'I was sent to the school because I needed looking after. I was a little boy and I wasn't looked after. I was made to do things that I shouldn't. This will always affect me.'

Another told how he had only been at the school for two weeks when Hennessy started abusing him. He said he blamed himself 'for letting him do it' and could 'never sleep peacefully'.

He said: 'I didn't stand a chance. It was a school for vulnerable children and they took advantage of that.'

He added that the experience had 'ruined his life' and he suffers from nightmares and flashbacks.

Jurors were told during the trial that Hennessy was convicted in December 1993 of four counts of indecent assault on a boy and two sex offences against a pupil.

Mr Bennetts said the atmosphere at the school was one 'where abuse was almost the norm'.

Alan Kent QC, for Hennessy, spoke of his client's confusion about his sexuality in his younger years. And he said Hennessy had lived for the past 20 years an 'unblemished life' in Norfolk.

Henry Grunwald QC, for Putman, described his client as 'of positive good character' who was married with an adopted daughter, adding he suffered from type 2 diabetes and was the primary carer for his ill wife.

Benjamin Narain, defending Baker, said he suffered from medical issues, including hypertension, diabetes and had made several suicide bids after suffering depression.

Lawyers at law firm Leigh Day, representing survivors of abuse at the school, have said the men 'picked on' the most vulnerable children who came from already troubled backgrounds or had special needs.

There were further calls, following the case, for a British 'mandatory reporting' law to be introduced where those who do not report child abuse suspicions face prosecution.

A Barnet council spokesman said it no longer ran distant boarding schools for vulnerable children.