Two women who were sexually abused by their "hideous" teacher have urged other victims to come forward - and added "it's never too late" for abusers to face justice.

Former Powys schoolteacher Gordon Fleming was jailed for ten years at a hearing in September 2017, after he admitted 35 counts of indecent assault against girls under the age of 13.

Now law firm Irwin Mitchell says it has secured settlements for two women, who are now both aged in their 40s and cannot be named for legal reasons.

One victim said the relief from making a statement to the police and tackling issues resulting from the abuse had been "life changing", as she recalled how she and her classmates had suffered at the hands of Fleming.

“Fleming was a hideous teacher. He was very brazen and would touch all the girls in front of the class," she said.

“When the bell went, we would all race to get out of the class because we knew that the last one out would be collared by Fleming and pulled back into the classroom.

“For years I suffered from low self-esteem and bottled up what had happened. Then in 2017 I was at the petrol station when I saw a newspaper headline about his guilty plea.

“I knew something had to be done. I was apprehensive about contacting the police but the relief I felt after I had given a statement was unbelievable.

"I had kept the abuse secret for too long. I now hope that others survivors don’t bottle things up and report what has happened to them as there is help and support out there.”

Peter Lorence, expert abuse lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the women, said: “This is yet another shocking case where individuals have suffered terrible abuse from someone in a position of power and trust.

“While nothing will ever change what has happened to these women, we hope that his conviction and this settlement will go some way towards helping them move forward and get the support they need to go on and live happy lives.

“Cases like these are a reminder that survivors of abuse should not suffer alone and can come forward safe in the knowledge that their concerns will always be handled with the greatest level of sensitivity.”

Another of the women, who said she had suffered a breakdown in 2009 and went to police in 2017 after seeing news coverage of the case, said: “Fleming would mainly try to do things when I was on my own with him. I remember Fleming often grabbing my arm to pull me towards him but I would try and fight him off. But he would always find a way to touch me, for example, if I went up to his desk he would hold me against him.

“He gave us all the creeps. I also remember him screaming, shouting, spitting and throwing things at us in the classroom.”

“I would encourage anyone who has suffered any kind of child abuse to go to the police as soon as they are able, even if it is decades later," she said.