Male nurse hanged himself days after being accused of using secret cameras to spy on female colleagues at top Catholic boarding school
- Nurse Neil Riley, 54, was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism after claims he set up hidden cameras at the prestigious Stonyhurst College in Lancashire
- He was found dead at his home in Great Harwood, Blackburn, five days later
- Coroner Michael Singleton today ruled Mr Riley committed suicide
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Male nurse Neil Riley, 54, was found dead at his home in Great Harwood, Blackburn
A dedicated male nurse at one Britain's most prestigious Catholic boarding schools hanged himself after he was accused of being a closet peeping tom, an inquest heard today.
Neil Riley, 54, had been arrested on suspicion of voyeurism after claims he set up hidden cameras in a bedroom to spy on female colleagues.
Staff at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, where boarding school fees cost up to £28,443 per year, called police after it was believed four women had been secretly filmed.
Mr Riley - described as 'one of the good guys' by friends - was later questioned and released on bail.
But five days later his naked body was found hanging from a wardrobe next to his police bail papers at his home in Great Harwood, Blackburn.
An inquest was told he had taken his own life for fear of losing his job at the school where he had worked for the past eight years. Police said there was 'a high probability' he would have been charged with voyeurism offences.
Father of two Mr Riley, who raised money for BBCs Children in Need appeal, joined Stonyhurst as a nurse in 2005 after working at various hospitals. He was involved in the college's combined cadet force, where he was promoted to captain.
He split from his teacher wife, Yvonne, in March last year but was arrested the following November after concerns were raised by college staff.
Officers seized a computer from Mr Riley's home to check for any files which may contain film footage of the college and confiscated cameras which are feared to have been used to film the unwitting women getting undressed in a bedroom.
Mrs Riley told the hearing in Blackburn: 'He didn't talk about the police arrest and I didn't know about it. I think if he thought he was going to lose his job that would affect him and his work was very, very important to him. It would have affected him.'
Allegations: Mr Riley's death came just five days after he was arrested over claims he set up a hidden camera in a bedroom to spy on female colleagues at the £28,000-a-year Stonyhurst College
Investigation: A police investigation was launched at Stonyhurst College after staff reported concerns about Mr Riley's behaviour
She said that despite their split in March last year they had maintained a friendship and was in regular contact with him, even helping him to move house.
She told the inquest: 'He was a very dedicated nurse who cared for a lot of people throughout his life. He was very good at his job and people respected him for the kindness and caring he showed towards them.
'Neil could be quite closed at times and tended to ignore things he did not want to see, he was quite closed. I didn't get the impression he was depressed or down.
Mr Riley joined Stonyhurst as a nurse and was involved in the college's combined cadet force
'The signs certainly were that when he moved into the house he invited friends for meals and got in touch with others for Christmas and my son had been to visit.'
She said that he had been a keen bird watcher who had had an allotment growing his own vegetables also liked to make chillies and chutneys.
'He was a good artist, he had a lot of friends and was a happy man. He had trials and tribulations like anyone else would.
'I spoke to him three weeks before he died because my daughter had an appointment at the hospital and he came to meet us. I don't understand why he did what he did, there were no signs for us.'
Police attended Riley's home after the school became concerned at not hearing from him.
Detective Constable Jane Lawrenson said: 'When I arrived the house was in darkness and there was a blue recycling bin outside. I knocked on the door for approximately five minutes but there was no reply.
'I knocked on a neighbour's door but she said she had not seen the male all week which was not unusual. Another neighbour said that he usually parked his motorbike outside and the bin had been there since the 13th.'
She said that uniform assistance were required who enforced the door down. She said that Riley was found in the front upstairs bedroom.
She added that Riley had been bailed with conditions and that he had received a letter from Stoneyhurst College that week notifying him of his suspension.
Bailed: Mr Riley had been released on bail while police investigated the allegations
She said that a number of items were being examined following Riley's arrest and interview and there was a 'high probability' that he would be charged on the information the police had gathered.
Asked if the allegations related to his work at the school and whether he would certainly have been dismissed by the school, DC Lawrenson replied 'yes'.
Inquest: A coroner ruled that Neil Riley, pictured at his first job after qualifying at Walverden ward at Reedyford hospital Nelsonin 1979, committed suicide
Recording a verdict of suicide, Coroner Michael Singleton said: 'Given the matter of the allegations he faced, the consequences, and taking into account the circumstances he was found, my only conclusion is that Neil Riley intended to bring about the end of his own life.
'A problem shared is a problem halved, I understand that it can all become too much. I'm sure if he had taken the opportunity to talk to family and friends he would have had a great deal of suppose and all would not have been lost.'
Stonyhurst College - whose French motto, Quant Je Puis means 'As Much as I Can' - is a coeducational Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition and was founded in 1593.
Former old boys include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, England rugby star Kyran Bracken and Mark Thompson, former Director General of the BBC.
In 1998 a Jesuit priest who sexually abused four pupils aged between 12 and 16 while a maths teacher at the school between 1987 and 1995 was jailed for five years. The sentence was reduced to three years on appeal.
At the time of his trial the Catholic church run Society of Jesus blamed a breakdown in communication for their failure to take heed of warnings about the priest's behaviour while abroad.
Before being convicted, the Jesuits had sent him to Canada for psychiatric treatment and he later went to Our Lady of Victories, in Gloucestershire, the retreat where fallen priests from the UK and the Irish Republic are sent.
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