Black Country driving instructor convicted of serial sexual assaults

Gary Rolinson, who ran the 500+ Driving School based in Kingswinford, preyed on teenage youths, interfering with them during driving lessons, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

A jury yesterday took seven hours 24 minutes to convict the 60-year-old of 13 offences of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity following a 14-day trial.

The crimes, committed between 2012 and 2014, involved six 17-year-old and 18-year-olds

Rolinson was acquitted of a further alleged sexual assault on another 17-year-old and was remanded on bail for reports to be prepared until a date to be fixed.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said: "You have been convicted on overwhelming evidence of a campaign of assaults on young men. You should spend the time between now and your sentencing preparing for the inevitable.

"It is certain that you will be sent into custody but emotions are raw and I need time to consider coolly and carefully the sentence that I will pass to ensure that it is just and proportionate."

Before the judge discharged the jury at the end of the trial he told them: "Don't worry about your children going to a driving instructor. This kind of case is very rare."

Rolinson inappropriately touched his victims after they made a mistake while driving, the court was told. He denied all the charges insisting that nothing inappropriate had taken place.

Rolinson, of Andover Crescent, Kingswinford, launched the 500+ Driving School in 2008 after being made redundant from Rover.

He was arrested by Staffordshire Police in 2012 after a teenage youth complained about Rolinson's behaviour during a driving lesson but officers decided to take no further action after inquiries failed to find any corroborating evidence.

Two years later West Midlands Police received a complaint from another youth and, after discovering it was the second of its kind, wrote to the 750 men and women of all ages that Rolinson had taught to drive over the previous three years.

As a result more youths came forward who were prepared to go in the witness box to give evidence against him. They did not know each other and had been taught at different times.

Dc Fiona Hatfield, who was in charge of the case, said today: "I would like to commend all the young men on being so brave in coming forward and giving evidence. They all found it a nerve wracking experience to give the intimate details of what happened to the jury."