Private Schoolteacher Caught Spying On Female Shower Room

A private school teacher’s career is in ruins after he was caught using his mobile phone to secretly spy on a female colleague in the women’s-only shower room, a court heard.

Computer Science teacher Christopher Arnold, 37, was also an assistant head of 5th Year at £22,000 a year Hampton Boys School, in south-west London.

The 500 year-old school’s well-known alumni include Queen guitarist Brian May; former Home Secretary Kenneth Baker and Olympic gold medal rower Jonny Searle.

Arnold, of Hazelwood House, Dyas Road, Sunbury-on-Thames is now receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance and living with him mum, while on a “relationship Break” from his partner, also a teacher at the same school.

He pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court to observing the female teacher doing a private act, for the purpose of sexual gratification on March 23.

Arnold must now sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and complete 200 hours community service and pay £85 costs and a 395 victim surcharge.

The court also ordered him to attend thirty sessions of the Horizon sex offenders’ programme and up to thirty days of a Probation Service-ordered recommended activity requirement.

“This incident left me very shaken and shocked,” said the teacher in her victim impact statement. “It is a horrible thing to have happened and to have it carried out by a colleague makes it even more intruding.”

Prosecutor Adam Cooper told the court: “This takes place at Hampton Boys School before the school day started.

“There is a small bathroom area that connects to the gym, leading to a female shower room for staff.

“The complainant was getting changed in the shower room at 8.10am and was sitting on a bench facing the door, which has three clear window slots.

“She could see a black smart phone held against the window and shouted out as she was partly-dressed and ran out to the corridor, thinking it was a student, but found this defendant.”

Arnold did not deny he was responsible and when questioned by police the same day, made a full admission.

No recording of his fellow-teacher was found on the phone and police checked his other devices, including computers and found no similar material.

Arnold’s lawyer Sunvir Kaur told the court: “He has expressed deep remorse from the outset and is seeking and trying to get to the bottom for the reason for the offence.

“He has sought help himself through his own expense and his genuine remorse was shown soon afterwards with a witness noting he was ‘down’ and ‘not his usual cheerful self.’

“This was because Mr Arnold was at a point of crisis when he committed the act and felt a sense of shame and had come to his senses as to what he had done.

“He made an immediate admission to the woman and said: ‘That was me,’ and was arrested that day and made a full ad mission to the police.

“Mr Arnold says he was under a lot of stress. It had been a difficult term at the school, where he had been for ten years and he used pornography to relieve his symptoms as a copying strategy.

“He also had a new pastoral role at the school, which placed additional stress on him.

“That led to this momentary spur of the moment act.”

Arnold’s partner and his mother supported him in court and Ms Kaur added: “His main source of income has now been lost and he is living with his mum while on a relationship break until the conclusion of this case.

“He showed exemplary character up to that morning, but now there will also be a hearing before the Teaching Regulation Agency and he is likely to be barred.”

Magistrate Timothy Keay told Arnold: “Custody might be in the sentencing range, but we think the appropriate sentence is a Community Order.

“The offence is so serious a custodial sentence could have been imposed.”