Suicide teacher had 500 photos of naked boys in his care

Fury was sparked after it emerged detectives left deputy head Martin Goldberg with unfettered access to children at £10,600-a-year Thorpe Hall School even though Canadian counterparts tipped them off to his activities.

A day after officers finally questioned him last month [Sept], the maths tutor killed himself – allowing them to discover a stash of home-made films of his pupils undressing.

Detectives from Essex police found the bachelor had hoarded more than 1,500 images of naked young boys in his care - some dating back 14 years - secretly filmed in changing rooms at the school in Southend. 

The Essex police and crime commissioner Nick Alston yesterday referred his force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission saying something had gone “badly wrong” with the force allowing the teacher to remain at work. 

Last November, Toronto Police alerted British counterparts that perverted Goldberg, 46, from Shoeburyness, Essex, was buying sickening videos of naked boys online.

Despite knowing he was working with children detectives only interviewed him on September 9 this year. Goldberg killed himself a day later.

Unaware of the accusations against the man, colleagues and pupils immediately paid tribute to the “much loved” teacher. Their reaction has since turned to revulsion and anger at his double life.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Alston said: “It is important that we understand why it took nine months for the force to act on this information. There may be valid reasons but we deserve an explanation.”

“It would be wrong of me to pre-empt the findings of that investigation, but my initial judgment is that it is likely that something has gone badly wrong here.

“It is essential that our communities have confidence that Essex Police is doing everything in its power to investigate intelligence or information about paedophiles in a rapid and thorough fashion,” he added.

A former Thorpe Hall pupil told ITV News: “He fooled us all. Pupils and staff. He was always friendly with pupils but then all teachers were.

“He was an okay teacher, very, very involved with ski trips and extra-curricular stuff.”

Police have defended their decision not to arrest the man saying magistrates had refused them a search warrant at the time because they felt there was insufficient evidence to justify it.

But Chief Superintendent Luke Collison refused to explain why it took so long for his officers to visit the paedophile.

It later emerged Essex Police had already contacted the IPCC over its contact with Goldberg on the day before he died.

Ch Sup Collison said: “That issue is subject of a referral to the IPCC and as a result of that referral I am unable to comment at this stage in regard to that.” 

The officer was also unable to say how many more victims had been filmed since the alert came through last November. 

“It’s an ongoing investigation. It’s very much developing as we speak with information coming in currently. It’s very difficult to answer that question,” he added.

Canadian police passed 35 files to the Essex force through the National Crime Agency last year. 

Officers have now acted on all the information with two people being charged and 18 others still under investigation.

Mr Collison’s officers believe Goldberg filmed his pupils using a camera hidden in a sports bag. 

The footage showed boys undressing in changing rooms at the school as well as in the Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre and two other unidentified locations.

More than 1,500 photographs and videos - 500 of which are classed as indecent - were recovered from Goldberg’s camera and home computer. 

Police said there was evidence he had deleted others. 

They are thought to date back as far as 2000. Goldberg joined the school at the age of 23 in 1991.

Shooting the footage is classified as a criminal offence of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Act. 

Specialist detectives have identified four of the children in the images - all boys aged between nine and 12 - and informed their parents.

Officers are still trying to identify the rest but their work is being hampered because some faces are not visible and the quality of the images are so poor.

Essex police said there was no evidence of any other offences by Goldberg involving these children. 

“At this time there is nothing to suggest that he made inappropriate physical contact with any child.

“The school has co-operated with our investigation and we have also found no evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved in Mr Goldberg’s criminal activity. 

“There is also no information that he shared any of these images or that anyone else was aware of his offending,” a spokesman said.

The school’s headteacher, Andrew Hampton, yesterday said staff and pupils had greeted the shocking news with anger and a sense of betrayal. 

“He was a well-regarded teacher who had an exemplary record during his 23 years at the school. There were no indications whatsoever that Mr Goldberg was leading a double-life.

“Everyone at Thorpe Hall School feels surprised, angry and betrayed. Our immediate focus is on supporting our pupils, parents and staff at this difficult time,” he said. 

The school’s safeguarding policies are being re-enforced even though they were found to be fine during an inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate earlier this year, Mr Hampton added. 

An inquest into Goldberg’s death has been opened and adjourned.