TRAGIC END FOR CONVICTED PREDATOR DAVID TUOHY IN OXFORD AND QUIDENHAM RIVERS

In a shocking turn of events, David Tuohy, an 83-year-old man with a dark history of sexual offenses, was found dead in the River Thames near Osney Lock in Oxford on Tuesday evening. The discovery came just days before he was scheduled to face sentencing at Norwich Crown Court for a series of serious convictions related to his past crimes.

According to reports from the Oxford Coroner’s Office, police divers recovered Tuohy’s body after a passerby alerted authorities early that morning. The individual had noticed a bloodstain and a Rotary watch on a bench along the towpath of the Thames, prompting a swift police response. Officers cordoned off the area and launched a search of the river, which culminated in the recovery of the body around 6 pm. During the investigation, police also recovered a Stanley knife, which was described as appearing to be relatively new.

Authorities from Thames Valley Police stated that they were not treating Tuohy’s death as suspicious, indicating that it was believed to be of natural causes or possibly related to his mental or physical state. The Norfolk Constabulary confirmed the identity of the deceased, with spokeswoman Natalie Reed stating, “Norfolk Constabulary can confirm 83-year-old David William Tuohy, who was due to be sentenced after being found guilty of a string of sexual offences against pupils at an independent school, has died.” She also noted that the victims had been informed of this development.

Tuohy, who resided on Whitehouse Road in South Oxford, was known to live in sheltered accommodation. Neighbors expressed their shock upon hearing of his death, although many admitted they only knew him casually, often exchanging greetings in the corridor. They observed that his car was missing from the parking lot, leading them to assume he had left the city, as he frequently traveled away.

His legal troubles stemmed from a conviction on February 12, when a jury found him guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault against five boys. The court heard that these assaults occurred between September 1972 and March 1983, during his tenure as headmaster at New Eccles Hall School in Quidenham, Norfolk. Tuohy had denied 18 counts of indecent assault and four counts of a serious sexual offence, but the jury’s verdict confirmed his guilt on the charges.

During the trial, prosecutor Andrew Shaw painted a disturbing picture of Tuohy’s alleged deviant interests, suggesting that he had a particular fascination with the bodies of very young boys. Shaw emphasized that the school, which catered to children with special educational or behavioral needs, was a setting where trust was grossly betrayed. The children, many of whom had not thrived in mainstream education and were separated from their families, were vulnerable to abuse by those entrusted with their care.

The court detailed that Tuohy was convicted of seven counts of indecent assault against one boy, three against a second, and additional counts against three other boys. He was acquitted of seven other charges, including four serious sexual assaults. Following the trial, several other potential victims came forward, indicating that the scope of his misconduct might have been broader than initially established.

This case echoes a previous conviction from February 2015, when Tuohy was found guilty of similar offenses. At that time, he was accused of being obsessed with spanking and of abusing five boys with special needs, some as young as ten, during his time at Eccles Hall in Quidenham. The court had granted him bail, with sentencing scheduled for March 13, but he was ultimately convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault. The judge noted that Tuohy’s actions demonstrated a disturbing pattern of abuse, especially given the vulnerable nature of his victims.

Throughout the proceedings, Tuohy maintained his innocence on several counts, but the evidence presented was compelling enough to secure a conviction. His history of misconduct, combined with the recent discovery of his body in the Thames, marks a tragic end for a man whose actions left a lasting impact on his victims and the communities of Oxford and Quidenham.