A FORMER housemaster at a prestigious private school has been found guilty of sexually abusing pupils as they slept.

David Lowe, 61, crept into schoolboys' dormitories and intimately touched them while carrying out night-time checks and took victims to buy sweets after abusing them.

Southwark Crown Court heard the attacks, which took place between 1978 and 1984, were carried out against ten eight to 13-year-old boys at Ampleforth College, near Thirsk, and Westminster Cathedral Choir School.

Lowe invited the youngsters to his flat and spanked them when they had broken school rules.

In 1981, one of Lowe's alleged victims complained about being repeatedly abused by him at the London school.

Shortly afterwards, he started working at the Catholic North Yorkshire school, whose former pupils include ex-England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio, Angel of the North sculptor Antony Gormley and King Letsie III of Lesotho.

Jurors heard Lowe had a "small group of pupils that he was extra friendly with", and even invited a select few to his wedding.

One victim said after being assaulted Lowe took him to "buy tuck".

He added: "I knew that he knew that what we just did upstairs was not part of the school curriculum."

Another of Lowe's victims told police he remembered a time when he was drifting off to sleep in a top bunk in the dormitory when the housemaster struck.

One of Lowe's victims said Lowe "seemed to take any opportunity when he was on duty at night to be able to touch the boys under the duvet".

A jury took nine and a half hours to find Lowe guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault on boys.

Judge Martin Beddoe conditionally bailed Lowe, of Bristol, to appear at the same court for sentencing on February 5 and told him a jail term was inevitable.