Eton organist banned after ‘gay little boys’ search
NewsAn outstanding organist on the staff of Eton College has been banned from teaching for life after searches for ‘gay little boys’ were found on his computer. David Goode, 52, has been organist-in-residence at Christ Church Oxford and the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.
He was found guilty of professional misconduct after Eton’s monitoring system found inappropriate searches on his computer.
Goode was a music master at Eton from 2005 to 2022, and a housemaster from 2016.
Maybe because he was using company computer, on company property, on company time, probably in the dorms where he served as housemaster?
Not that it’d make much of a difference had he been using his personal computer at home, because how many red flags do you really need to keep someone away from “little boys” where he serves as housemaster?
Reminds me of Robert King, who regularly comments on this website. Except Robert King was convicted of 14 counts of indecent assault after plying boys with alcohol.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-23248200
Robert says he has ‘paid his debt to society’ because he spent time in jail, regardless of the effect it had on the boys.
How arrogant!
He molested young boys in Britain.
After prison he thought he could resume his UK concert life with open arms.
When he saw the opposition, he focused on work outside the UK and constantly complained Brexit made his life harder.
Maybe he should look a bit more at himself…
https://slippedisc.com/2019/03/a-uk-maestro-asks-what-shall-i-do-after-brexit/
https://slippedisc.com/2021/04/comment-of-the-day-uk-is-to-blame-for-europe-visa-charges/
How can you do that and believe you’re entitled to return as if nothing happened? Here’s a reminder from Ian Pace’s blog: [redacted: statute of limitations]
I’m sure Rob’s refreshing this page to downvote these comments!
This brought to mind a similar case, that of Malcolm Archer (at Winchester College) who was also banned by the Secretary of State from teaching, for life, as reported on these pages: https://slippedisc.com/2022/08/ex-head-of-music-is-banned-from-teaching/
School parent – Malcolm Archer is seemingly shameless about his past actions, given the amount of times he pops up on Facebook commenting on all and sundry. People like him and Robert King (and David Goode) should hang their heads in shame.
Well, the full story is WAY more than just one Google search:
… David Goode … admitted the online image searches were sexually motivated.
…
David Goode … was found guilty of professional misconduct after he searched for images on 229 separate occasions in 2021.
The searches, which included “free spirits gaylove”, “cute Thai boys” and “Algerian gay boys”, raised a red flag on the school’s internet monitoring system.
Goode admitted that his actions were sexually motivated, according to a decision by the Teaching Regulation Agency. The police were called in but decided not to pursue a prosecution because a search of Goode’s electronic devices found that he was not “in possession” of indecent images. However, the agency’s decision, published on Wednesday, revealed that “there was no doubt in the police’s mind that Mr Goode accessed such images”.
…
The decision to ban him for life from teaching was made on behalf of the education secretary. The ruling read: “The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding of searching for indecent images of children on a school-issued laptop, which the panel found to be sexually motivated conduct. The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Goode fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.”
The ruling added that “there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour, and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils”.
…
Goode had previously been warned about using the school’s IT network to attempt to access pornography in 2017.
Paul Williams, Eton’s acting head master, said in a statement to former pupils: “Eton supports the action that the [Teaching Regulation Agency] has taken and considers it right that Mr Goode has been barred from teaching.
“While there is no evidence that any Eton pupil was at risk of harm, either as a result of these internet searches or during Mr Goode’s employment at the college, we take this case extremely seriously. The welfare and wellbeing of our pupils is always our top priority.
“That means we must remain vigilant at all times, as well as ensuring that we maintain an open and compassionate culture where boys, parents and staff feel confident to come forward with any concerns that they may have.”
The school has also written to the parents of present pupils and the parents of boys who were in Hawtrey House while Goode was housemaster.
It is the latest scandal involving inappropriate behaviour with children at the school. Matthew Mowbray, a housemaster, was found guilty of numerous sexual offences in 2020. The geography teacher, 53, regularly entered pupils’ rooms at night on the pretext of wanting to discuss their school work, before stroking their arms or legs, his trial at Reading crown court was told.
School fees at Eton, where the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex were pupils, will rise to £63,000 a year from January.
Good. He should be banned from working with children. Anyway, his career will be over now, so that’s that.
Not necessarily. Look at the entitlement of Robert King, who was convicted for assaulting underage boys and gives concerts today as if nothing happened.
It probably will not be the end of his career. He’s a world class musician and will be in much demand.
being a world class musician and an organist at that, does not give you any right to play with underage children.
Goode is not a world class musician anyway ‘cos if he was, he’d not be teaching anywhere.
Why do you think he is exempt from underage predatory behaviour? ‘cos he’s an organist?!
Might be unwise to allow comments on this post
Coming from an organist? . . . how cliche’.
It’s axiomatic: any grown man who wishes to put himself in a situation wherein he has easy access to children must be suspected of nefarious intent. I don’t know how parents willingly put their children in a situation where they are exposed to such men. It’s why groups like the Vienna Boys Choir always give me the creeps: I can’t help but constantly think how many of those poor boys have been or will be abused. Honestly, at this point, after all we’ve learned about the church and other such institutions, the only solution is to completely disband any arrangement whereby adult males have access to children, or that only women be allowed to teach, supervise and mentor them. And before the men’s rights activist types weigh in, yes, women are sometimes guilty of sexual abuse, but at a fraction of the rate that men are. Enough is enough.
…and then there was the competitor in the 2024 Olympics who had very recently been convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl?
And, that late Los Angeles basketball star, that’s practically being considered for sainthoid?
I dont believe a search is a crime. Might keep one from acting on it. Not sure, but police always size phones and computers looking for evidence. I have mixed feeling about it. There is no privacy. But searching for ” how to dispose of a body” is evidence you are thinking of disposing of a body so I guess its the same with this organist. He must have done something that caused suspicion so they looked at his search history. People have wild fantasies and impulses that are never acted on. None of us can deny it. That in itself isnt a crime. A red flag perhaps when its searched for. But should it ruin someone’s career and life?
Perhaps not a crime, but a violation of rules that most companies and government agencies have against using their networks to access porn.
I won’t speculate about his motives.
Thank you for that presentation of the predator’s point of view.
You did humanity a favor we didn’t realize we needed.
A search shouldn’t destroy your whole life and career. Working with children again – fair enough of course. And he should receive the full weight of the law unequivocally. But he clearly needs support psychologically and, on some level, our compassion – he must have been deeply troubled and unwell to make those searches. I hope that we get to hear his peerless playing again in future.
Most sexual websites involving minors, both girls and boys, feature children who have never consented to what is being done to them just for ‘eye candy’ of sick adults. They are being humiliated, assaulted, or even raped. So yes, getting involved, even on a private basis, in the privacy of one’s home office or bedroom, helps to ensure that millions of children in danger are the victims of gangs of bastards who sell child pornography for the ‘visual pleasure” of bastard consumers’. And when visuals aren’t enough, it’s for these bastard time to act. Criminal. No excuses. No smoky explanation. Stop.
I see he is programmed for a recital in Leeds on November 4th. Be interesting to see how that pans out.
It has been cancelled, I think. Many years ago I recall him being with some guy around his own age, maybe older. Anyway hope he’s getting help now.