A primary school teacher from Shropshire charged with a string of sexual offences against children died in a car crash hours before his trial was due to start, it has been disclosed.
Robert Stringer, 57, was killed when his Peugeot 407 hit a bridge parapet on the westbound A41 near Bourne End in Hertfordshire late on Sunday night.
His trial was due to open at Isleworth Crown Court in west London on Monday morning.
Stringer, of Redstone Drive in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, was charged with two counts of rape of a child under 13; one count of rape of a child under 14; two counts of indecent assault; seven counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; five counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration; two counts of attempted rape and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, a court official said.
The alleged offences against four female victims took place between 1999 and 2009, the Metropolitan Police said. Stringer died at the scene of the crash on Sunday.
