Former violin teacher denies sexual assault charges

Jan Repko, 64, was suspended by the London conservatoire after the allegations were made last July.

General views of Southwark Crown Court (Sean Dempsey/PA) (PA Archive)

A former violin teacher at the Royal College of Music (RCM) has denied two charges of sexually assaulting a woman.

South Africa-born Jan Repko, 64, was suspended by the London conservatoire after the allegations were made last July and later dismissed.

The RCM, established in 1883, was ranked as the world’s leading institution for performing arts in 2022, with notable alumni including classical composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams, as well as musical theatre star Alfie Boe and theatre boss Lord (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber.

Repko, who also taught at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

He stood in the public gallery to confirm his name before entering not guilty pleas to two charges, including sexual assault by touching and assault by penetration.

The charges both relate to the same complainant, who cannot be identified because she is the alleged victim of a sexual offence, on July 22 last year.

Repko faces a five-day trial currently fixed for July 8 next year and is next expected to appear in court for a mention hearing on April 20.

He studied violin with Jack de Wet, performing as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, and has been invited to give masterclasses all over the world.

Repko spent five years as concertmaster of the Northern Philharmonic Orchestra in the Netherlands and is a co-founder of the Netherlands Youth String Orchestra.

The musician, from Fulham, west London, was previously granted conditional bail on payment of a £15,000 security.

His bail conditions prevent him from contacting any former or current students and he must not attend the RCM without prior written appointment.

He must surrender his passport and not go to or enter any international travel hubs or apply for international travel documents, and is also subject to an electronically-tagged curfew between 11pm and 8am.

The Metropolitan Police previously said the charges relate to an incident in Westminster, which was reported in July last year.

Repko was arrested on August 10 2022 and charged on February 17 this year.

The RCM, which was named number one in the 2022 QS World University Rankings by subject last year, has declined to comment.

It was the first time it had taken the top spot, overtaking The Juilliard School in New York which had held the position since 2016, when the categorisation was first introduced.

For the previous six years, the conservatoire had been ranked top in the UK and also in Europe for four of those years.

The late Queen was patron of the college and the former prince of Wales is the RCM’s president.