Headmaster who viewed sexual images on £30,000-a-year school's computers avoids punishment even though he did not report pupil's rape claim nor an ex-student's suicidal thoughts before she killed herself

  • Christopher Alcock says pupil threatened to kill herself if he told of alleged rape 
  • Decision not to report it meant two pupils in question remained in class together 
  • The 59-year-old viewed 'highly inappropriate' videos on the school's computers 
  • Admitted inappropriate relationship with ex-pupil who went on to kill herself

Christopher Alcock (pictured) failed to report the alleged rape of one pupil by another 

Christopher Alcock (pictured) failed to report the alleged rape of one pupil by another 

The former headmaster of a prestigious boarding school who failed to report an alleged rape of a pupil has been spared punishment.

Christopher Alcock's decision meant the two pupils concerned were forced to attend lessons with one another for a year. 

He believed it was not his ‘concern’ as it reportedly happened at a party away from the school, a misconduct panel heard.

The 59-year-old resigned from £30,000-a-year Queen’s College in Taunton in May 2016 after it emerged he had also viewed ‘highly inappropriate’ videos and images on the school’s computers.

He admitted searching for the term ‘schoolgirls’ but said he had got distracted while carrying out research on YouTube for footage about a Masai tribe.

Married Mr Alcock also admitted having an inappropriate relationship with former pupil Juliet Crew, who went on to kill herself. She was found dead at her home on August 6, 2015, three years after her stepfather, church organist Nigel Parkin, was found not guilty of raping her.

In a suicide note Miss Crew, who was studying architecture at the University of Nottingham, wrote she ‘could not live in a world of such injustice’. 

The panel was told Mr Alcock kept in touch with her after she left Queen’s and she told him of her suicidal intentions but again he did not tell anyone, insisting she had asked him not to.

Mr Alcock, who had three children with wife Linda, 58, - also a teacher at the school - also used his school mobile phone and email to send sexually motivated messages to adult women.

Juliet Crew (pictured) went on to kill herself after her stepfather, church organist Nigel Parkin, was found not guilty of sexually assaulting her
Juliet Crew went on to kill herself after her stepfather, church organist Nigel Parkin (pictured), was found not guilty of sexually assaulting her

Juliet Crew (left) went on to kill herself after her stepfather, church organist Nigel Parkin (right), was found not guilty of sexually assaulting her

But the Teaching Regulation Agency panel found only his failure to report the rape amounted to misconduct.

Today it emerged that no further action would be taken against Mr Alcock and that publication of the adverse findings was an adequate sanction despite their 'very serious nature'.

Panel chair Robert Cawley said: 'The panel heard that Mr Alcock was responsible for instilling a "family" atmosphere at the school and the panel heard evidence of the clear benefit of this in the boarding school environment.

'The panel took into account the diversity of the education sector and noted the success Mr Alcock had in raising pupil numbers at the school, in a difficult financial climate. 

'The panel recognised that there was clearly a demand for intensely pastoral school leadership in this segment of the sector. The panel determined it was therefore right to recognise the public interest consideration in retaining Mr Alcock in the profession.'

The former head of Queen's College (pictured) admitted having an inappropriate relationship with Juliet Crew 

The former head of Queen's College (pictured) admitted having an inappropriate relationship with Juliet Crew 

The ruling continued: 'The panel considers that the publication of the adverse findings it has made is sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher and to the profession as to the standards of behaviour that are not acceptable, and meets the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession.

'Accordingly, the panel recommends that no prohibition order is appropriate and proportionate in this case.'

Mr Alcock was cleared of inappropriate relationships with two other sixth form pupils as the panel ruled that his ‘intensely pastoral’ approach to education was acceptable.

The panel also said his YouTube searches did not amount to misconduct as YouTube was not illegal. Panel chair Robert Cawley said it was accepted that he had become ‘distracted and was drawn to areas not directly related to his research’.

On the messages, Mr Cawley said that while they were sexually motivated, the panel accepted that Mr Alcock was a ‘technophobe’ and had a genuine and mistaken belief that he was sending from a private email address.

Mr Cawley said: ‘This was conduct between consenting adults and outside the education setting this would have been considered private.

Juliet Crew (pictured) was found dead three years after her stepfather was acquitted 

Juliet Crew (pictured) was found dead three years after her stepfather was acquitted 

‘While his actions were sexually motivated, his behaviours did not meet the threshold to meet unacceptable professional conduct.’

Mr Alcock started teaching in 1982, after graduating from Durham University. He became headteacher at Queens in 2001 and lived in the headmaster’s house at the school with his wife, who he married in 1985.

The school was founded 173 years ago on strict Methodist principles and past pupils include racehorse trainer Martin Pipe and Conservative MP John Baron.

Giving evidence to the panel, Gill Wilson, who was Mr Alcock’s deputy, said she first blew the whistle over his relationship with Miss Crew to the chair of governors in September 2009.

She said the school was aware that Miss Crew - identified at the hearing as pupil A - had been self-harming because of ‘issues going on at home’ - but that Mr Alcock would himself clean the wounds.

Mrs Wilson said: ‘I went in to see Mr Alcock and I saw him through the spyhole in full embrace with Pupil A. I was concerned over that over-familiarity with Pupil A and Mr Alcock.’ 

Mrs Wilson said pupils would often stay in the head’s office until 7pm, adding: ‘The head treated many of the pupils as friends. But there are boundaries.

‘When the head had pupils in his office, they were sitting there for hours. Some of these pupils are vulnerable children.’

Mr Alcock said he wanted to be a friend to pupils and presented himself as a ‘father figure’.

He said: ‘I wanted to deal with pupils in school as I would with my own children and that’s how I perceived my role.’

The misconduct panel, sitting in Coventry, heard Mr Alcock had kept in touch with Miss Drew after she left the school and failed to report the suicidal thoughts she disclosed to him in the days before her death. 

At an inquest into her death, her family raised concerns that Mr Alcock did not report the text messages to the relevant authorities. The disciplinary hearing was also told of a text message sent by Mr Alcock to Miss Crew in July 2015 which read: ‘I love you’.

But the married father-of-two described the affection as ‘agape’ - a Christian term referring to love.

He said: ‘She knew the difference between that and erotica. No way, knowing what she had been through, it could mean anything else. It’s a Christian love - "I care for you". And I did.’

Mr Alcock said he tried to get others to help care for Miss Crew. Asked why he didn’t disclose Miss Crew’s messages to professional agencies, he said: ‘She told me she would kill herself [if I did].’ 

Regulators agreed that Mr Alcock had failed to maintain boundaries with Miss Drew - identified as Pupil A - but ruled his actions did not amount to unacceptable professional misconduct.

Mr Cawley went as far to say that Mr Alcock’s attempts to converse with Miss Crew were ‘commendable’ and that he had no duty to disclose her suicidal thoughts ‘as she was an adult at the time’.

The decision not to punish Mr Alcock was backed by civil servant Dawn Dandy, on behalf of the education secretary.

She said: 'A prohibition order would prevent Mr Alcock from continuing in the teaching profession.

'A prohibition order would also clearly deprive the public of his contribution to the profession for the period that it is in force.'

Ms Dandy added: 'In my view it is not necessary to impose a prohibition order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession. 

'A published decision that is backed up by remorse and insight demonstrated in this case, coupled with the mitigation offered does in my view satisfy the public interest requirement concerning public confidence in the profession.

'For these reasons I have concluded that a prohibition order is not proportionate and in the public interest.'

Mr Alcock said in a statement: 'I am deeply appreciative that the panel has properly and carefully considered the details of this case and has acknowledged that I had the best interest of my pupils at heart during my time at Queen's. 

'It is a particular relief that the panel made clear that there is space in the profession for intensely pastoral headteachers.'