Eton head’s ‘regret’ child-abusing teacher was not found out sooner
THE headmaster of Eton College has spoken of the “palpable sense of betrayal” he felt after a teacher was found guilty of a string of sex offences against pupils in his care.
Simon Henderson said there was “shock and regret” that Matthew Mowbray’s offending, which took place over a number of years, had not been identified sooner.
The court heard how the housemaster, who taught at the school for about 20 years, had molested boys during late-night visits to their rooms.
The abuse came to light when one of the victim’s friends raised concerns with another teacher. During the subsequent investigation, allegations concerning other boys also emerged.
When detectives examined Mowbray’s computer they discovered hundreds of indecent images of children, including a number where a student’s head had been superimposed on downloaded indecent images of children.
Police also recovered a series of secretly filmed images of a pupil getting undressed in his bedroom.
The 49-year- old was convicted of eight counts of sexual activity with a child by Reading Crown Court. He will be sentenced at a later date.
After the case Mr Henderson said: “I am outraged at the way Mr Mowbray abused his position of t rust and betrayed those in his care.
“I have offered those individuals involved my unreserved apologies on behalf of the school and we will continue to do all we can to support them moving forward.
“It is a difficult truth that many of us – colleagues, pupils and parents – trusted a man who succeeded in hiding his criminal conduct for so long. There is a palpable sense of betrayal, coupled with shock and deep regret that we did not identify his offending earlier.
“Mr Mowbray was believed to be a caring and professional housemaster but we now know that he was a skilful and deceitful manipulator of both young people and adults.
“I am acutely aware that an open and transparent school culture is the key to keeping our children safe. Therefore we shall all be redoubling our efforts to ensure that Eton remains an ever more open and supportive environment for all of our pupils, so that they can continue to feel confident to come forward with any concerns that they may have.”