Teacher at Eton ‘molested pupils during his night visits to rooms’
The 600-year-old public school (left) and Mowbray before his sacking (right)
A FORMER Eton College teacher sexually abused pupils during regular ‘nocturnal visits’ while they were alone, a court heard.
Matthew Mowbray, a married 49-year-old father, denies nine counts of sexual activity with a child against four boys and one girl.
The alleged abuse at the £40,000-a-year feepaying school, near Windsor, spanned a number of years, prosecutor John Price QC told a jury. Mowbray, who was dismissed from his role following his arrest in May 2019, purported ‘to engage pupils in conversation about college matters’ but would then ‘touch or stroke them on their arms or, through the bed covers on their upper legs, Mr Price said. ‘It is alleged this was done for his own sexual gratification.’
The ex-teacher’s alleged offending took place even after he had been warned about his conduct by a colleague, the prosecutor added.
He said: ‘If he was prepared to take such risks, with the obvious potential for great harm to his own career and reputation, continuing to do so even in the face of explicit advice from a colleague that he should desist, one is entitled to ask what motivated him to do so? Why was it he could not bring himself to stop?’ The court heard Mowbray, of Locks Heath, near Southampton, has admitted six counts of making indecent images of children.
The charges relate to hundreds of indecent pictures found downloaded on to his computer during a police investigation, some of which had been digitally altered to include the faces of boys at the school.
He also admits a charge of voyeurism, which relates to a series of covertly filmed images showing a boy at the 1,300-pupil boarding school getting dressed, jurors heard.
‘The prosecution submits that evidence of this activity by Mr Mowbray, proves beyond doubt what was his concealed and true purpose when touching the four boys,’ said Mr Price.
The alleged sexual touching of a female victim ‘is submitted to make no difference’ to the case, said Mr Price, who added: ‘A propensity sexually to abuse children may often not distinguish between boys and girls. That most of those who have complained about Mr Mowbray are boys may reflect little more than the fact that, through his employment, he had almost unfettered access to boys of that age but not so many opportunities to come into contact with girls.’
The trial at Reading crown court continues.