EXCLUSIVE: Barrister Who’s Awaiting Trial On Sex Grooming Charge Was Lecturing At BPP Law School Last Term

It has been reported fairly widely that former Welsh Ambulance Service chief executive Dr Anton Van Dellen will stand trial in November accused of sexually grooming a 15-year-old boy.

Van Dellen – who is qualified not only as a doctor but also a barrister – denies the charge.

What hasn't been reported is that Van Dellen was teaching on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at BPP Law School in Holborn, central London, last term – AFTER the charges against him had appeared in the press...

According to BPP students, Van Dellen (pictured here) lectured and delivered 'small group' sessions throughout the 2011-2012 BPTC, including the summer term, which concluded less than four months ago. He taught, amongst other things, conference skills and intellectual property.

Speaking anonymously to Legal Cheek, a BPTC student taught by Van Dellen said that they had been alerted to the charges against their lecturer when they Googled him upon returning to BPP for the summer term on 16 April – and found this local newspaper story (dated 12 April).

The student added that Van Dellen taught at least one intellectual property small group session "before suddenly disappearing around the end of April". When affected students emailed BPP admin staff to enquire as to what was going on, they received an email stating that Van Dellen would no longer be teaching the group, with no explanation given about his departure from the role.

After we contacted BPP Law School, it provided Legal Cheek with the following statement: "Dr Anton Van Dellen is not, and has never been an employee of BPP; in the past he has done some freelance work at the law school on a temporary basis but we no longer engage him."

BPP said that data protection laws prevented it from responding to our question about whether or not it was aware of the court case against Van Dellen when it hired him. For the same reason, BPP declined to confirm the dates of the period when it engaged Van Dellen in freelance work, stating: "Under data protection, we are not able to disclose personal information on current or previous personnel whom we engage; this also applies to any past or existing students or employees; without their prior consent."

Van Dellen, 41, was bailed by Southend Magistrates' Court on April 11 as he awaits trial on November 5. The bail was granted on condition that Van Dellen does not contact the alleged victim – a teenager who he is alleged to have contacted on Facebook to arrange a meeting, with the alleged intention for this to lead to a sexual assault.

According to a local newspaper, Van Dellen "had already denied the charge against him at a previous hearing" dating back earlier than the April magistrates' court hearing. The charges relate to a period between May 30 and June 13, 2011. Van Dellen has since appeared at Basildon Crown Court, on Wednesday May 30, to formally plead not guilty to the charge.

Van Dellen, who lives in Chiswick, West London, served as chief executive with the Welsh Ambulance Service – which was an interim role – for two months in 2006. He left the job saying he was unable to commit long-term to the post. At which point he returned to a position with the Staffordshire Ambulance Service, where he had previously been deputy chief executive.

Having gone on to study law, Van Dellen was called to the Bar at Inner Temple in 2010, then completed pupillage, but did not apply for a full practising certificate after that. He is now non-practising and not registered with the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

Although Van Dellen is qualified as a doctor of medicine, he reportedly removed himself from the medical register in May 2010.