From falling asleep in lessons to downloading child abuse images, some school staff on Teesside have brought the teaching profession into disrepute.
During 2024 several cases have hit the headlines. While some teachers have been dealt with by the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA), others have faced the criminal courts with serious charges. Here are some of the people who have been banned from the classroom:
Richard Swinnerton
Richard Swinnerton was back before the court in August when he breached his sexual harm prevention order
(Image: Teesside Live)
A former deputy headteacher who admitted watching vile child rape videos was hauled back before a judge at the crown court. In October 2020, Richard Swinnerton admitted watching sickening indecent images of children on the dark web while his wife and child were at home.
The paedophile, formerly of Coulby Newham, admitted he had a “sexual attraction towards children” and would watch the vile abuse material on a “weekly basis”. Judge Deborah Sherwin sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order – both to last for ten years.
However, in August this year, Swinnerton, who now lives in Staithes Court in Hartlepool, was back before Teesside Crown Court where he admitted two breaches of the order. The Middlesbrough court heard the breaches took place between October 22, 2022 and August 26, 2023.
The 34-year-old took part in an “organised group” which would put him in contact with children without declaring it to police and had supervised or unsupervised contact with a child under 18 without the approval of social services. Swinnerton was given a 15 months prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Following his original arrest in May 2020, Swinnerton immediately resigned from his job at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Acklam, Middlesbrough. The offences were not related to his employment.
Following the case a misconduct panel banned him from ever teaching again. Following a recommendation in favour of a prohibition order, Sarah Buxcey, decision maker for the secretary of state, said: “Mr Richard Swinnerton is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.”
David Amos
David Amos
(Image: Esther Halligan )
A perverted teacher who told an underage girl he would “whip her with his tie” was struck off. David Amos also sent the pupil naked selfies and a video showing him performing a sex act.
The Teesside teacher messaged the teen saying that he would reward her by taking her clothing off every time she answered a maths question. The 32-year-old was jailed for two and a half years at Teesside Crown Court in October 2022. The paedophile faced a professional conduct panel meeting following an investigation by the Teaching Regulation Agency in September this year.
The panel members found that Amos’ conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”. Decision maker Marc Cavey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, banned Amos from teaching. The decision notice stated: “This means that Mr David Amos is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Amos shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
During his court case, Teesside Crown Court heard that the teacher added his pupil on Snapchat, but that she didn’t realise who he was until he sent her a selfie of his face, on the app, a week later. Not long after they started chatting online, the court heard that Amos sent “five or six” naked selfies to the girl.
Amos was arrested and police seized his iPad and phone, as well as the victim’s online devices – and uncovered evidence of their communications. Amos, of Lumley Road in Durham, pleaded guilty to causing a child to watch a sexual activity; and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity whilst in a position of trust.
Amos was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10-years. He will sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
Barry Wilson
Dyke House Academy in Hartlepool
(Image: Google)
A teacher was banned from the classroom after he attended work smelling of alcohol and failed to notify the school he had been arrested. Former Dyke House Academy teacher Barry Wilson admitted failing to attend lessons, attending work while smelling of alcohol and failing to notify the school he was arrested.
The 46-year-old was made subject of a Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct panel hearing in June where he was banned from teaching for four years. The panel heard the incidents took place while he was going through a “very difficult period in his life”.
Mr Wilson admitted that or around January 11, 2021, he did not attend one or more online lessons after “falling asleep” and later that month attended work smelling of alcohol. A report stated: “Mr Wilson accepted that he had attended work smelling of alcohol but denied that he was under the influence of alcohol.
“Mr Wilson stated that he had not ingested any alcohol that day but accepted that he had drank heavily the night before. Mr Wilson stated that at the time he had been going through a significant period of emotional distress.”
The hearing also heard that on or around June 16, 2021, he engaged in threatening behaviour towards a person known as person A, and threatened to “smash the [car] windows in”. The teacher was arrested but no charges were brought as person A did not support a prosecution.
Later, on or around September 21, 2021, he used excessive and/or physical force in that he kicked and/or caused damage to Person A’s front door. He was arrested on October 4, 2021. The panel heard on both occasions he failed to inform the school of his arrests.
Mr Wilson admitted the charges and previously had an “unblemished record”. The panel found he had behaved “dishonestly and without integrity” and banned Mr Wilson from the classroom.
The report states: “The panel considered that a review after a period of four years would be appropriate in the circumstances.”
Nicola McCarthy
Hartburn Primary School, Stockton
(Image: Google maps)
A Teesside teacher who failed to mention she was in a relationship with a sex offender was barred from the classroom.
Nicola McCarthy was banned from teaching by a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency after she failed to tell the school of her partner’s conviction. Ms McCarthy was working as a teacher at Hartburn Primary School in Stockton between May 2021 and October 2022, when she failed to disclose the situation that her partner was under investigation by police and had been found guilty of possessing indecent images of children.
The 32-year-old admitted the facts of the allegations and that her actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
Ms McCarthy started working at the Adelaide Grove school on September 1, 2021. In October 2022, the school was notified by the local authority that a safeguarding concern had arisen in relation to the teacher, it was disclosed that she was in a relationship with a convicted sex offender. Ms McCarthy was suspended from duties pending an investigation.
She admitted that during the relationship police had attended her home and seized electronic devices belonging to the person she was in a relationship with and they were convicted for an offence of possession of indecent images of children (2x category A and 54x category C) for which he received a community order and added to the sex offenders’ register.
The report to the panel said: “Miss McCarthy further accepted that at no point during her recruitment process, upon being appointed as a teacher at the school or subsequently did she disclose the circumstances of Person A being under investigation by the police, his prosecution or conviction to the school.
“The panel agreed that Person A’s circumstances constituted a potentially serious safeguarding concern. The panel also concluded that Miss McCarthy had a duty to disclose her relationship and Person A’s circumstances to the school.”
The panel said the conduct of the teacher fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession and she was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and that her actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
Ms McCarthy was banned from teaching indefinitely, but in two years can apply for the prohibition order to be lifted.
Ieuan Bancroft
Freebrough Academy, Linden Road, Brotton
(Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)
A trainee teacher at a Brotton school said in the staffroom that he “f***ing hates” a certain student and said the ‘kids could do with good beating’. Ieuan Bancroft, who worked at Freebrough Academy from the start of the 2020 school year, was banned from the profession indefinitely and will not be allowed to teach at any school, sixth form college or children’s home in England.
A teaching regulating agency (TRA) panel found that the modern languages teacher made numerous inappropriate comments to other members of staff, while at the site and outside of the workplace. A 37-page report highlights one incident where he told another member of staff to “suck my ****” – believed to have been a joke – and when asked why he got into teaching, he responded “I like kids” while making an inappropriate gesture.
Mr Bancroft started as a trainee teacher at Freebrough Academy, in Linden Road, Brotton, on September 1, 2020, with concerns being raised in November 2020 – and he was suspended with immediate effect. A disciplinary investigation took place and he was dismissed from employment in early March the following year. Six allegations against the teacher were found proven by the panel – including claims he said in the staffroom about one student: “I don’t like him, I think he is a little c***”.
In another incident, a member of staff, recalled how Mr Bancroft said in the staffroom that “kids could do with a good beating” and you could “knock them out as they need to behave and grow up” or words to that effect.
It was reported he also said “I f***ing hate that student” or words to that effect after being frustrated with a certain pupil’s behaviour after his lessons. Whilst Mr Bancroft, who did not attend the TRA hearing, had denied hating any student, he did not deny making the statement as alleged.
The panel was satisfied that Mr Bancroft’s conduct fell “significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher”. Mr Bancroft is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside, but not until 22 January 2026 – two years from the date of this order at the earliest.
Matthew Walker
Stokesley School
A ‘Bitcoin-mining’ paedophile teacher who downloaded child abuse videos from the dark web – then tried to delete them – was banned from the profession. Temporary art teacher Matthew Walker had only been qualified for a number of months when he began making indecent photographs of children. The 31-year-old, who was employed at Stokesley School – located on Station Road, Stokesley, Middlesbrough – as a cover supervisor and temporary art teacher from January 2019, was arrested on February 5, 2019, and his computer was seized by police.
The Teesside man admitted that the device contained numerous indecent images of children, which had been accessed, opened and shared between May 4, 2018, and February, 2019. He pleaded guilty to making 57 category A still images, 81 category A videos, one category B still image, five category B videos, one category C still image; and three category C videos of children at Teesside Crown Court in November 2021.
Walker had attempted to delete images using specialist software. He further admitted to sharing the images using peer to peer software.
In December 2021, Walker was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and 100 hours unpaid work. He was also slapped with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to pay costs, including £250 towards the cost of the prosecution and a £140 victim surcharge.
In January 2024 details of Walker’s criminal actions were looked at in a publication of a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) document.
The panel members concluded that Walker’s conduct involved breaches of the Teachers’ Standards. The panel noted that the offence committed by Walker was relevant to teaching, working with children and working in an education setting given that it is indicative of a sexual interest in children. They added that the behaviour involved in committing the offence would have been likely to have had an impact on the safety and/or security of children depicted in the images.
The panel concluded that Mr Walker be banned from teaching indefinitely and would not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
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