Former trainer at 53K-a-year personal college arrested on suspicion of historic intercourse crimes
A former head of department at a prestigious UK public school has been arrested on suspicion of historic sex crimes, following an accusation made by an ex-pupil at the £53,000 a year school
The man worked as a head of department at the prestigious school(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A former senior teacher at a prestigious British public school has been arrested on suspicion of rape and indecent assault following accusations made by a former pupil.
The ex-teacher, who is retired and in his eighties, is believed to have been a head of department at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. School fees at Stowe, which was attended by which the likes of business magnate Richard Branson and actor Henry Cavill cost around £53,000 every year.
An investigation was launched into the former teacher, who has not been named by police, after a woman in her 50s approached them alleging she had been sexually assaulted while she was sixth form pupil at the school during the 1980s.
The man, from Bicester, Oxfordshire, was arrested by police last November, according to reports.
Several other former female students taught by the teacher have also been interviewed by police as part of the investigation.
Thames Valley Police said that the former subject head has since been released on bail while inquiries continue.
A spokesperson said: “We have received a report of non-recent sex offences in the late 1980s at Stowe School.
“An investigation has been launched and a man in his 80s from Bicester has been arrested on suspicion of rape and indecent assault. He has been bailed while our inquiries continue.
“The investigation remains ongoing and is being progressed thoroughly, with extensive inquiries continuing, which has contributed to the length of the investigation.”
The arrest follows a number of former teachers at UK private schools being investigated for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with pupils.
Last year, a former deputy head of a West London private school was banned from teaching after being found to have engaged in a series of sexual encounters with a student, including intimate meetings in his office cupboard which was interrupted when a dinner lady accidentally walked in.
Culling was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 without facing a disciplinary hearing, thereby escaping any kind of sanction and enabling him to continue working in education.
Mr Culling was rehired at Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery School in Kensington in 2016, to work in the office. Six years later, a whistle-blower came forward, triggering a formal investigation into the teacher’s past. He was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency, which has now banned him from the profession for life following a misconduct hearing.
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