Tragic Death of Physics Teacher Following Dismissal from Prestigious School
A respected physics teacher at Marlborough College took his own life after being dismissed for alleged inappropriate conduct during a school exchange trip to Malaysia, an inquest has heard.
John Wright, 54, was found by his distraught wife Rachel at their family home on the evening of November 3rd. The teacher had apparently hanged himself after being sacked from the £60,000-a-year independent school where he had taught for a decade.
Disciplinary Process and Family Concerns
The incident followed an annual 17-day exchange trip to Marlborough College Malaysia during the spring half-term holiday, which involved 29 pupils from the Wiltshire school. After an internal investigation and disciplinary hearing into his conduct during the trip, Mr Wright was dismissed during the summer.
Several allegations against Mr Wright were found to be proven, and his subsequent appeal against the dismissal was unsuccessful. The inquest at Wiltshire Coroners Court heard that his cause of death was recorded as asphyxiation with compression of the neck structures by a ligature.
Sources close to the situation indicate that Mr Wright's bereaved family are deeply unhappy with the disciplinary process he experienced. A family source described the treatment of Mr Wright as "outrageous," while colleagues expressed concerns about the school's safeguarding regime creating an atmosphere of "mistrust and fear" among staff.
School Context and Royal Connections
Marlborough College counts the Princess of Wales among its former pupils, having attended the school between 1996 and 2000. There has been longstanding speculation that Prince George might follow in his mother's footsteps and enroll at the prestigious institution.
The college charges fees of nearly £60,000 per year and is the UK's largest co-educational boarding school, educating approximately 1,000 domestic and international students. Mr Wright lived with his wife and two children just a ten-minute walk from the college campus.
Wiltshire Police confirmed treating the death as "sudden" with no suspicious circumstances. Officers remained at the scene for several hours but had left by around midnight.
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
