A Dewsbury-based junior teacher has been banned from teaching indefinitely after being found guilty of three child sex offences.
Liam I’Anson-North, 30 was jailed in 2023 after it was found that he had been speaking to a 13-year-old girl online, but was in fact speaking with an undercover police member of staff.
His activity had first come to light in mid-2021 when an account using an alias created by I’Anson-North made contact via social media with a West Yorkshire Police controlled account.
At Leeds Crown Court, it was heard how he thought he had been speaking to a 13-year-old girl online but was in fact speaking with an undercover police member of staff.
He was arrested by officers in June 2021 at Ravensthorpe CE Junior School in Dewsbury where he worked.
At Leeds Crown Court, speaking about the offence, the judge said:
“You were deriving kicks out of having such conversations with a child who had told you that she was 13 years of age.
“Once she started to open up, in relation to sexual matters, your conversations became more regular and ongoing talking about sexual matters until she stopped to communicate.”
He was later charged and after a trial was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two offences of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
He was sentenced to three years, four months in prison and put on the Sex offenders register indefinitely.
Teaching Regulation Agency ban
This week, the Teaching Regulation Agency banned him from teaching indefinitely after hearing his case.
The TRA panel heard how the former teacher from Middleton in Rochdale had been caught out by a police team dedicated to protecting vulnerable children online.
The panel heard how he had maintained his innocence at a previous panel hearing stating “due to a guilty verdict I have had to accept the allegations.”
It also acknowledged that there had been “no evidence to suggest he was acting under extreme duress,” and that he had been told on a number of occasions the person he was “communicating with online was 13 years old”.
Chief Executive of the Teaching Regulation Agency Marc Cavey decided that I’Anson-North would never teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England, and would not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
He said in his conclusion there was “an extremely strong public interest consideration in respect of the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils and protection of other members of the public”.
Mr. Cavey said that with a “lack of evidence of insight and remorse, in my judgment, there is a risk of a repetition of this behaviour in the future.”
The panel was also satisfied that the conduct of Mr I’Anson-North, in relation to the facts it found proved, involved breaches of the Teachers’ Standards.
I’Anson-North has 28 days to appeal against the decision to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court.
Further reading
Sexual abuse – abuseclaims.co.uk
Civil abuse claims – Oakwood Solicitors
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