London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Former Eton College teacher guilty of sexually abusing pupils

Former Eton College teacher guilty of sexually abusing pupils

An ex Eton College teacher is facing jail after being found guilty of sexually touching students during night time visits to their bedroom.

Matthew Mowbray, from Locks Heath, Southampton, entered boys’ rooms late at night on the pretext of discussing schoolwork before touching them for his own ‘sexual gratification’, Reading Crown Court heard. On Wednesday he was found guilty of eight charges and not guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child against a girl.

The father, 49, admitted downloading hundreds of indecent images of children, as well as superimposing pupils’ faces on to the naked bodies of unknown children on his computer. He had denied nine counts of sexual activity with a child against four boys and one girl over a period of several years.

Mowbray remained expressionless and clutched a face mask as the verdicts were read out, after the jury had deliberated for six hours and 34 minutes.

Presiding judge Heather Norton QC told Mowbray that it was ‘inevitable’ that he would receive a prison sentence.

She added: ‘You should prepare yourself for that’.

One victim from the prestigious Berkshire school told jurors that Mowbray made physical contact with him during late-night visits to his bedroom on ‘five to six occasions’.

In a statement read out in court, the victim said Mowbray came into the room ‘in the dark’ and sat on his bed while chatting to him.


Mowbray was found not guilty on one other count


He said: ‘While he was doing so he would gently put his hand down on my thigh and knee and rub his hand up and down my thigh over and over.

‘I felt really uncomfortable and just froze.’

After a boy made a complaint about Mowbray touching him, prosecutor John Price QC said the teacher sent an email to the deputy headmaster in which he wrote: ‘A big part of the awful feeling I have of the situation is that, regardless of whether it’s true or not, it would be impossible to stop the rumours that will inevitably spread among the boys and around the school.

‘It leaves me with a feeling I will never go back to normal unless this is managed very carefully.’

Mr Price told jurors: ‘When he spoke of (the victim’s) complaint being managed very carefully so that he can get back to normal, did he mean prevent it coming out to minimise risk of others coming forward?’

Jurors had previously heard that one victims told police that Mowbray had ‘put his head on my arm, basically laid down on me without putting his legs up’.

Mowbray had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and one count of voyeurism in relation to a series of covertly filmed images showing a boy getting dressed at the school near Windsor.

On the charges the former geography teacher denied, defence counsel Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC said: ‘There’s no covert, surreptitious behaviour, no overt sexual touching, no words to accompany the touching such that it was to convert it into something sexual.’

She said Mowbray was ‘well-respected’ by students and that he had sat and chatted with the boys and occasionally put his hand on them ‘as a gesture of comfort’.

Mowbray did not give evidence during the trial.

He is due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court at a later date.

Mowbray was granted bail on the condition that he does not contact parents or staff from Eton College, must not enter the school or the surrounding area, and must not have unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

The Head Master of Eton College today apologised unreservedly to the victims and paid tribute to their ‘extraordinary courage and dignity’.

Simon Henderson said: ‘I am outraged at the way Mr Mowbray abused his position of trust and betrayed those in his care.

‘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.

‘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.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×