Full hearing (conduct)

Details

Type of hearing:
Full hearing (Conduct)
Location:
Virtual
Date:
Dates:
8 to 10, 13 to 15 July 2026

Agenda

Allegation(s)

  1. Whilst employed byDumfries & Galloway Council as a teacher at [redacted] the Teacher did:
    • (a) Between May 2017 and January 2020, engage in communication of a personal nature, through social media with Pupil A.
    • (b) Between October 2017 and January 2020, engage in a sexual relationship with Pupil A.
    • (c) Between October 2017 and January 2020, whilst engaged in a sexual relationship with Pupil A, give gifts to Pupil A, including but not limited to:
      • (i) Booking overnight hotel stays
      • (ii) buying a ‘Pandora’ ring.
    • (d) Between October 2017 and January 2020, whilst engaged in a sexual relationship with Pupil A, receive and save explicit photographs from Pupil A and repeatedly threaten to send the explicit photographs to others.
    • (e) Between October 2017 and January 2020, whilst engaged in a sexual relationship with Pupil A, act in a controlling manner towards Pupil A, including but not limited to:
      • (i) telling Pupil A that she was not allowed to disclose their relationship to anyone.
      • (ii) telling Pupil A that she was not allowed to have a boyfriend.
      • (iii) telling Pupil A to leave her Snapchat location on at all times.
    • (f) Between 2017 and 2020, interact with pupils on a personal level on social media.
    • (g) Between 2019 and 2020, make comments of a sexual nature towards pupil B via social media, namely ‘Ffs, I’d be all over you if I was drunk”.
    • (h) Between 2019 and 2020, make comments of a sexual nature to unknown pupils via social media.
  2. The Teacher's behaviour at allegations 1(a), (b), (c), (d), (g) and (h) was sexually motivated.

And in light of the above it is alleged that the Teacher’s fitness to teach is impaired, and he is unfit to teach as a result of breaching Parts 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Code of Professionalism and Conduct (COPAC).

Attending a hearing

Following an order by a Panel, this hearing will take place remotely, by way of Microsoft Teams.

Should any members of the public or press wish to attend the hearing (remotely), they must contact GTC Scotland (by emailing regulation@gtcs.org.uk) no less than 48 working hours prior to the start time of the hearing (i.e. by 10.00am on 6 July 2026) in order to request the link to the public hearing. Any requests to attend the hearing beyond this time cannot be facilitated and will not be responded to. Attendees will require to have the Microsoft Teams application downloaded to their device. You can download Microsoft Teams from the Microsoft website or from the Apple Store on Apple devices, or the Google Play Store on Android devices.

When requesting a link/access to the public hearing, the following information will require to be provided:

  • The full name of the person who will attend the hearing
  • Date of hearing
  • Email address to which we can send the Microsoft Teams link
  • Contact number we can reach you on if there are any technical issues during the hearing
  • Reason for wishing to observe (for example: press)

Please note that only the person named who has requested access to the hearing, and who has been provided with the link, will be permitted to enter the hearing. This is unless a substitute attendee has been intimated in advance.

As with hearings held in our office, members of the public and press in attendance are reminded not to interrupt proceedings and it is strictly prohibited for an observer to audio or video record, screen shot, photograph, copy or share our hearing proceedings. Under Rule 1.7.10, a Panel may decide to exclude any person where the Panel is of the opinion that his/her presence is disruptive or otherwise detrimental to proceedings being conducted in line with the general objectives. Furthermore, members of the public and press will not be permitted access to the private discussions of the Panel.

Please note that an order has been made by a Panel that part of this hearing is to be held in private. At those stages, any members of the public/press in attendance at the hearing will be instructed to disconnect from the call and will only be able to re-join the hearing room once the private session has concluded.

Please read the remote hearing observer guidance.