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Former head teacher Graham Priest dies in crash on A249 near Sittingbourne before rape trial

A man who died in a car crash over the weekend has been named as a former head teacher, who was facing rape and sex abuse charges.

Graham Priest, 54, died on Saturday night after crashing into the back of a parked lorry "at considerable speed" on the A249 near Sittingbourne, where he lived.

The ex-boarding school head died just days before he was due to stand trial at Northampton Crown Court for rape and a string of historic sex offences.

Graham Priest
Graham Priest

Priest was the headteacher of Falcon Manor boarding School, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, before it closed in 1999.

He was charged with raping a woman over 16 in 1988 and three counts of indecent assaults on girls and two on women aged over 16, between 1995 and 1998.

Kent Police confirmed a man in his 50s and from Sittingbourne had died after his black Citroën crashed into a lorry, which was legally parked in a layby, at around 7pm on Saturday.

Police are appealing for witnesses to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 01622 798535 quoting number 008/17.

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