A teacher accused of engaging in inappropriate contact on social media with several young girls from a secondary school where he had worked has been described as a “predator” by the mother of one of the students.
The claim was made at an inquiry by the Teaching Council into the conduct of a male teacher in his mid-20s who is accused of seven counts of professional misconduct and breaching the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers.
The inquiry heard that the teacher had told one of the girls in a text message on Snapchat that she was a “little ride”, while he sent a part-topless photo of himself to another teenager.
The council’s disciplinary committee ruled that the teacher, school and parties involved in the case cannot be identified.
The inquiry heard the teacher worked as a student teacher and subsequently a substitute teacher at the school between September and December 2019.
He is accused of inappropriately contacting six female students from the school, who were aged 13-14 years at the time, via Snapchat on unknown dates between September 2019 and July 2020.
The teacher also faced a separate charge of inappropriately contacting another young girl from a different school in the same locality and sending her inappropriate messages.
Counsel for the Teaching Council, Eoghan O’Sullivan BL, said three of the six girls from the school had accepted the teacher’s request to be added to his contacts on Snapchat.
Mr O’Sullivan said the three other students had blocked his request because they had been alerted to his identity by their schoolmates.
He told the inquiry on Thursday that the Teaching Council believed the very fact of attempting to communicate with children on social media was “utterly inappropriate”.
Although some of the messages were “benign”, Mr O’Sullivan said they were not always so.
He pointed out that the teacher had persistently asked one girl to send him a selfie, even after she had pointed out she was only 13, that he had been her teacher and that it was inappropriate.
Mr O’Sullivan said the girl had reacted maturely and responsibly to the situation and ceased communication with the teacher very quickly.
The inquiry heard that some parents had complained to the school about the teacher who advised them to contact gardaí, Tusla and the Teaching Council.
Mr O’Sullivan said the teacher had initially denied contacting students via Snapchat when interviewed by Tusla but made admissions after he was presented with screenshots of text exchanges with one of the girls.
“This conduct, if proven, is inimical to the principles that underpin the profession of teaching,” Mr O’Sullivan remarked.
The mother of one of the girls who made a formal complaint to the Teaching Council told the inquiry that she was alerted about the teacher by her sister whose daughter was also one of the students contacted on Snapchat.
The inquiry heard that the woman’s niece had replied to the teacher in a message that he was “a f**king paedo.”
The woman said the teacher had asked her daughter how old she was and that she had replied that she was 14.
In response, he texted: “20. Sorry. F**k. Little ride and all. Shouldn’t say that.”
The woman said her daughter was very upset about the matter, while she admitted she was angry that the teacher had regarded her daughter “as a target”.
The witness said she made a complaint to the Teaching Council as she knew it was not an isolated incident.
“It was very clear that the man was a predator and would keep on going until he got someone to respond in the way he wanted,” she added.
Six of the girls contacted by the teacher also gave evidence via video-link with several claiming his behaviour was “a bit weird”.
Others said they immediately unfriended him once he admitted he was in his 20s.
The girl who was asked for a selfie said the teacher had repeatedly made her a Snapchat contact despite “unfriending” him twice and told her that she was “always my favourite student” after she had promised she would not tell anyone about their text exchanges.
The teacher, who has been a registered post-primary teacher since 2019, did not attend the inquiry and was not legally represented.
In a letter to the disciplinary committee, he claimed he was caring for his sick father and looking after his father’s business.
He also outlined how he had issues with his mental health and had struggled with alcohol for several years.
The inquiry was adjourned until July 6th when the case is expected to conclude.
