A glass blower and former bar mitzvah tutor has been jailed for seven years for the sexual assault of a teenage girl.
In April, a jury convicted Jason Blair, of Mill Hill, North West London, of five counts of sexual assault against a single victim, who was aged 13 and 14 at the time of the offences.
Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Philip Grey ordered Blair, a 47-year-old father-of-two, to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Blair is known in the Jewish community for his work as a glass-blower, creating pieces for chupahs, and also as a chazan and events manager for bar mitzvah parties.
He has also worked as a tutor for bar mitzvah boys.
Passing sentence, the judge told Blair: “You calculated, rightly at the time, that [the victim] would not take steps to report you.
“The reality is that you have brought this all down on yourself. It is right that in sentencing I focus on the impact of your offending on the victim.
“There will be long-lasting and devastating impacts of offending of this nature.”
He added that Blair’s attempt to silence the victim through “emotional blackmail” was an aggravating factor, as was his refusal to admit the offences.
In a statement read by prosecutor Beverly Cripps, the victim she said that her schoolwork had suffered because of the abuse, as had her relationships with “male teachers and boys”.
"My schoolwork has been badly affected," she said in the statement.
“I am uncomfortable being around male teachers. I feel socially weird. I feel awkward and I don’t like feeling this way.
“I don’t like boys hugging me or putting their arms around me, even when they are just being nice.
“Sometimes I am alone... or on the bus and I find myself thinking about what happened.
“I don’t know the right words to express how I feel. The closest word I can think of is uncomfortable."
The judge noted Blair had no past convictions and had helped friends “through difficult times” in the past.
But he added the offending was "serious and sustained" and the victim's age was an "aggravating factor".
