Jailed ex-Eton teacher Matthew Mowbray banned from teaching

One complainant said Mowbray groped his bottom with a "forceful squeeze"

A former Eton College teacher jailed for sexual offences against pupils has been banned from teaching for life.

Matthew Mowbray, 50, paid "nocturnal" visits to children's bedrooms under the guise of discussing school work, Reading Court Court heard.

He was found guilty of eight counts of sexual activity with a child and jailed for five years.

A Teaching Regulation Agency panel said police also found 4,500 indecent images of children on his computer.

He admitted six counts of making indecent images of children and another of voyeurism in November 2020.

Mowbray, formerly of Locks Heath, Southampton, was dismissed by the boys' boarding school, near Windsor, in March 2020.

He was initially arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and released on police bail in May 2019.

Eton College was founded by King Henry VI in 1440 and has about 1,300 pupils

Mowbray was employed as a geography teacher between September 1993 and March 2020, and as a housemaster from September 2010.

One complainant said Mowbray groped his bottom with a "forceful squeeze", while another pupil said he "felt really uncomfortable and just froze" when he was sexually touched by the teacher.

He was cleared of one count of sexual activity with a girl following his trial at Reading Crown Court.

The Teaching Regulation Agency said it felt there was still a "considerable risk" Mowbray would repeat the behaviour.

Mowbray also admitted downloading hundreds of indecent images of children

It said that Mowbray himself wrote that given he had been jailed, his case was "open and shut" and that he should never be allowed to teach again.

The panel said it felt that him being allowed to teach again would have affected "public confidence" in the teaching profession. He cannot appeal to have the ban removed.

At the time Mowbray was jailed, Simon Henderson, Eton's headteacher, said he was "outraged" by the way he had "abused his position of trust and betrayed those in his care".

He added there was a "palpable sense of betrayal, coupled with shock and deep regret that we did not identify his offending earlier".