Predator: Paedophile teacher William James Vahey (pictured) drugged and molested up to 60 boys as young as ten at a British private school after four decades spent abusing children around the globe

Vahey committed suicide at a motel in the US last month – just days after confessing. The FBI had been poised to investigate a USB memory stick containing graphic images of 90 children who appeared to be asleep or unconscious while they were assaulted during field trips dating back to 2008.

The photos featured between 50 and 60 pupils at Southbank International in central London, where American-born Vahey taught ten to 16-year-olds history and geography and led trips to destinations such as Nepal and Venezuela.

Last night, distraught parents at the prestigious school favoured by foreign executives feared they may never know whether their children were abused because the victims had been secretly fed sedatives beforehand.

Predator: Bill Vahey with his wife Jean - the executive director of the European Council of International Schools

Sir Chris Woodhead, the former chief inspector of schools and chairman of governors at Southbank International, described the case as ‘the worst thing that I’ve ever been involved in in 40 years of education’.

Scotland Yard is now trying to formally identify Vahey’s victims, all boys aged between ten and 14.

Southbank International, which has 758 pupils and charges fees of £25,000 a year, revealed Vahey had been investigated over a previous ‘incident’ during his time at the school. But it claimed it was not pursued at the request of both parents and child.

Vahey underwent a Criminal Records Bureau check when he was taken on and another three years later.



'Felt physically sick': Southbank International School's chair of governors, the former Ofsted chief inspector Sir Chris Woodhead (pictured), confirmed that pupils at the school were among Vahey's victims

Both gave him the all-clear even though he had a child sex conviction in California dating back to 1969.



The father of two – who lived in a stunning £1.8million Georgian property in Maida Vale, west London, with his 66-year-old wife Jean – was highly respected in the private education community.



But unbeknown to teachers and parents, he had spent years hiding his conviction and did not sign the sex offenders register in the US.

Last night FBI investigators described his sordid activities as ‘one of the most prolific and heinous suspected sexual predator cases we have ever seen’.

Sir Chris said he felt physically sick at the abuse. He said it ‘beggars belief’ that Vahey was able to teach in the UK and at other schools in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Madrid, Athens, Venezuela, Iran and Lebanon despite his conviction.

Yesterday, parents said they felt ‘upset and betrayed’.

One mother whose son went on a field trip with the pervert said: ‘I couldn’t sleep last night. I am shocked, very shocked. My boy is 13 now and his class teacher was Vahey. Even if they find my son in the photos, I would rather not know and just forget about it.



‘My son is very worried. He asked me “did I get molested?”.’ Another mother said: ‘Every teenage kid who went on those trips is asking, “Was it me?” They are scared and distraught, can’t believe it’s true, don’t want it to be true.’

