Prison for teacher who secretly filmed pupils

A former teacher at Clifton College has been jailed for recording indecent images of children on cameras hidden inside the boarding school.

Jonathan Thomson-Glover, 53, a former German teacher and housemaster, pleaded guilty to 36 charges of making, taking and possessing indecent images of more than 120 pupils.

He was handed  a sentence of three years and nine months in prison by Judge David Ticehurst at Taunton Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard that the victims were aged 12-17 and were secretly filmed over 16 years, with the images recorded onto hundreds of VHS tapes.

It was also heard that the former teacher had set up hidden cameras in the bathroom of a property in Wadebridge, Cornwall, where he captured further victims on tape.

Following his sentence, police said Thomson-Glover was a “manipulative and devious sexual offender who had the ability to keep his compulsion a secret from everyone around him”.

Police were led to his home in the summer of 204 after the National Crime Agency contacted Cornwall Police about a computer IP address being used to download indecent images of children.

Raids uncovered 2,500 hours of footage – on more than 300 video tapes, Hi8 discs, laptops and hard drives – taken on covert cameras in Clifton College and a property in Wadebridge.

The BBC reports that a parent of a 14-year-old victim that Thomson-Glover “was absolutely charming. He was Mr Chips, he lived and breathed the college.”

“But there was the general feeling he was too close to the boys,” she added.

Thomson-Glover quit Clifton College when he was arrested last year. Before quitting he was a housemaster at the £30,000 a year private school since 1997. He also attended the school as a pupil between 1968 and 1980.

In a detailed statement released after the sentencing, police said there is no evidence to suggest the images were distributed or shared.

Detective Inspector Andrea Kingdon said: “These crimes amounted to an abhorrent abuse of trust and a gross invasion of privacy.

“During police interviews, Thomson-Glover described his activities as ‘compulsive’. It’s clear he has been prolific in his criminal activity and has demonstrated a meticulous approach in his planning and cataloguing processes.

“Although the footage was recorded onto VHS tapes, there is a clear suggestion he may have used pinhole or spy cameras during the later stages of his offending. He’s proved himself to be a manipulative and devious sexual offender who had the ability to keep his compulsion a secret from everyone around him.”

She added that a bespoke service had been set up to help victims, whilst police had been working closely with the college.

Howard Phillips, senior crown prosecutor, said: “Jonathan Thomson-Glover is an educated and intelligent man who exploited and manipulated his position for his own sexual gratification.

“He must have known he had paedophile tendencies when he accepted his appointment and he began his offending within a year of taking up his position.”