Watch the moment former King's Lynn Howard Junior School head teacher Greg Hill arrested as he's found guilty of harassing young female teacher
Police bodyworn footage shows former Howard Junior School head teacher Greg Hill resisting his arrest for 33 minutes - comparing his treatment to that of George Floyd.
It comes as Hill, who was the head teacher of the Gaywood school for 15 years, was yesterday found guilty of causing harassment without violence against Chloe Regester, who previously worked under him, between 12 March 2022 and 22 February 2023.
The lengthy footage shows two police constables in plain clothes, Heidi Honington and Laura Wild, approaching Hill outside the school early on the morning of Monday, March 6 last year before telling him he is under arrest.
The video also shows him resisting arrest for 33 minutes - he prevented officers from putting him in handcuffs, grabbed hold of a hedgerow and refused to let go, claimed officers were trying to break his wrist and his arms, bit his own lip and pretended to pass out.
At one stage, he compared his treatment to that of “George Floyd in America”. Mr Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.
One officer replied to Hill: “We are not going to kill you, that is just silly.”
Hill claimed that police had assaulted him and that he nearly died.
On Thursday, at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Christopher Williams also found Hill, 48, of Valley Way, Fakenham, guilty of resisting arrest on that date.
Hill had pleaded not guilty to both counts.
District Judge Williams described Hill’s behaviour throughout the arrest as “bizarre”.
“It could have been the moment when he knew the game was up. Maybe it was because it happened on school grounds,” he said.
“He was not assaulted by the police, the police were incredibly patient with him.
“Mr Hill didn’t want to be arrested and he did everything he could to stop police from arresting him.”
The judge said that Hill’s injuries were caused as a result of his own actions.
During the trial, the court heard Ms Regester joined Hill’s school in September 2021 as a newly qualified teacher. It was her first teaching job.
At first, Hill’s messages to the victim – which he sent from the school’s social media accounts - were work-related but became personal from February 2022 onwards.
On one occasion, Hill messaged her: “Can’t wait to see this smile, this beautiful face and wonderful person tomorrow.” Another time, he messaged: “I’d love to build a future for us in school and outside of school xx.”
Ms Regester told Hill she did not want a personal relationship with him, and he continued to harass her up until February 19, 2023, when she reported his behaviour to police.
Over the course of 12 months, Hill claimed he had “fallen in love” with her, continued messaging her on social media, insisted she join him on a school trip instead of colleagues, and blamed a “slip of the finger” for a WhatsApp telephone call he made to her just before midnight one evening.
A witness explained to police how she had seen Hill photographing Ms Regester’s car while she was visiting a family member. She was also told that Hill had been using Facebook to try to find information about her.
On one occasion, when the victim requested a meeting with school officials to discuss his “continued unwanted behaviour”, she was confronted by Hill who said she was responsible for “putting his job at risk” and making him and his elderly mother “homeless.”
In a victim personal statement, she described Hill’s messages as a “constant drain on me both mentally and physically… he was always hounding me with messages and emails late at night.
“I was never able to relax or have any personal time as there was a clear expectation from him that I replied to his every communication. When I failed to do this, he took this personally and I then received a barrage of negativity from him.
“As time progressed at school my behaviours changed. I found that I did not want to be alone in case this led to Mr Hill taking the opportunity to come into class to discuss things with me.
“I have never suffered with anxiety and have been able to handle any challenges that have been thrown at me…I started to struggle with sleeping and would have nightmares…I had concerns that Mr Hill was aware of my movements and this led to a fear of seeing him when I was out and about.
“These last few years have completely changed me as a person and I do not know if I will ever return to the person I once was.”
Detective Constable Claire Lordan, who led the investigation, said: “Hill exploited and abused his position, he was someone who was trusted by parents and the wider community. His behaviour and treatment of a younger colleague, who was just starting out in her career, shows he thought he could behave exactly how he wanted, and get away with it time and time again.
“When he should have been supporting a young woman in her first teaching position, he was self-serving, constantly seeking out opportunities for contact and attention from her, affecting her work and personal life, making her afraid and afraid to be alone.
“I know it wasn’t easy for her to come forward and continue with this investigation and court case, and she deserves all our thanks for having the courage to tell us what was happening because his behaviour needed to stop.”
Hill's sentencing has been adjourned to September 2.