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Ex-Clifton College teacher Jonathan Thomson-Glover jailed after admitting 36 counts of taking indecent images of more than 120 children

Clifton College describes itself as a 'leading independent boarding school'

Rose Troup Buchanan
Thursday 27 August 2015 17:24 EDT
Thomson-Glover has been jailed for three years and nine months
Thomson-Glover has been jailed for three years and nine months (PA)

A former teacher has been jailed after making indecent videos of more than a 100 pupils - totalling more than 2,500 hours of footage - using hidden cameras at a private boarding school in Bristol.

Jonathan Thomson-Glover, of Wadebridge, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of making, taking and possessing indecent images of 120 children aged between 12 and 17 over a 16 year period while at Clifton College, Bristol.

The 53-year-old showed no emotion as he was jailed for three years and nine months by Judge David Ticehurst at Taunton Crown Court.

No charges related to offences involving physical contact with children.

Video tapes, CDs and DVDs and belonging to former teacher Jonathan Thomson-Glover
Video tapes, CDs and DVDs and belonging to former teacher Jonathan Thomson-Glover (PA)

The teacher admitted 27 charges of taking an indecent image of a child; seven charges of making an indecent image of a child and two charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Avon and Somerset Police and Devon and Cornwall Police, working together, found more than 300 video tapes that included more than 2,500 hours of footage.

The footage included images of girls, boys and adults showering, changing, using the toilet and “conducting private acts,” according to Detective Inspector Andrea Kingdon.

Det Insp Kindon, of Devon and Cornwall Police, characterised Thomson-Glover’s “abhorrent” actions as a “massive breach of trust, an invasion of privacy”.

"When we had to approach these victims, it's something that's come out the blue and they've acted in a variety of ways from extreme anger to bitter disappointment," she told the BBC.

Clifton College describes itself as a 'leading' public school
Clifton College describes itself as a 'leading' public school (PA)

Founded in 1862, the college, which charges £30,000 for boarders, describes itself as a “leading independent boarding school”. A statement from Clifton College is expected later.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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