Robert King's Schlußszene

In what has been a big day for the serious music world, conductor Robert King has been found guilty "of 14 counts of indecent assault between 1982 and 1995." (BBCNews)

I first reported on this, following others' lead, almost a year ago. At the time, the Guardian had this to say about the situation,

Scotland Yard said Mr King was charged with five counts of indecent assault on three men, identified only as A, allegedly assaulted once in 1985, B allegedly assaulted twice between April and September 1985, and C, allegedly assaulted once between 1982 and 1984, who was under 16 at the time. Mr King, who lives in west London, is due to appear before Ealing magistrates court on July 19.

Now, the BBC reports - as you have seen - that he has been convicted on fourteen counts. It seems, according to the charges on which he was convicted, that Mr. King had been involved in this sort of behavior for some time (1982-1995). I haven't followed the particulars of the case closely, other than what news makes it across the water, so I don't know what's transpired in court. However, a conviction is a pretty clear statement of probability. Pending appeal and whatnot: I don't really know how this works in Britain, so this might not be the last we hear.

I suppose, in addition to nearly four years of jail, appeal success notwithstanding, Mr. King's career is over. That's a pity: his Monteverdi Vespers were really reference-quality. However, any beauty he produced has to be weighed against the severity of the crimes for which he was convicted.