Teacher had sex with Leaving Cert student in her mother's bed, tribunal told

Sunday World

4 days ago

She told a fitness-to-teach inquiry that at one point he said it would be 'hot' if she wore her school uniform during sex
A schoolteacher had sex with a Leaving Cert student in her mother's bed and his car after sharing explicit photos with her on Snapchat, it is alleged.
The then 18-year-old said she was 'naive and vulnerable' when her class head teacher started an inappropriate relationship with her in the months before she sat her exams.
She told a fitness-to-teach inquiry that at one point he said it would be 'hot' if she wore her school uniform during sex.
It is further alleged that on their sixth year graduation night, he kissed the complainant's best friend, who described the teacher's behaviour as 'predatory.'
The man is accused of professional misconduct and breaching the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, which he denies. The inquiry is being held by the Teaching Council following a complaint by a student known as Ms A, now in her 20s.
It is alleged the teacher inappropriately communicated with her on Snapchat between October 2017 and June 2018, and sent her messages, photos, pictures and memes of an inappropriate and sexual nature between January and June, 2018.
He is alleged to have provided her with alcohol and had an inappropriate sexual relationship with her between March and June that year. Further allegations relate to her friend, Ms B, who he allegedly touched and kissed in a pub in May 2018.
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Ms A said the teacher had given her maths grinds in 2017 but 'nothing untoward' happened. He added her on Snapchat late that year and as they exchanged messages, it was not her intention for anything romantic to happen, but she continued out of curiosity.
The teacher was aged 28 at the time and had two children.
'I knew it was weird to speak to a teacher over Snapchat and I shouldn't be doing it,' Ms A said.
He complimented her and joked about 'going off with a student.'
The frequency and intimacy of the messages slowly increased and he started making sexual advances towards her, the inquiry heard.
He 'tested the waters of what he could say to me' and as she became more responsive, it 'escalated' and they exchanged explicit photos.
'He would send me d**k pics of his genitals and I would send him nude pictures in return,' she said.
He would 'encourage my alcohol use, knowing it would lower my inhibitions', saying 'you will be horny', she alleged.
She said he told her she was better looking than her friends and asked about her boyfriend, saying to her: 'What are you doing with him?'
She 'knew it was wrong' and felt that she cared more about the repercussions than she did, she said. She had mental health issues and was coping in ways that were 'wrong and unhealthy.'
They first met after school in March 2018 when he dropped her home in his car, she continued. The next day, she alleged they went to her house while she was drunk and her mother was out.
'I kind of knew this was where it was going, it felt inevitable,' she said. 'I still had a bunk bed so we went into my mother's bed and had sex.'
She alleged he later said of her boyfriend: 'Just tell him that you f**ked a teacher in your mam's bed.'
When they allegedly had sex in his car, she 'felt reluctant and awkward' and she did not like 'the clunkiness of it.' She said it was 'too real' for her and she recalled being able to see his child's car seat, where he left a bottle of vodka he bought her.
She said he told her they had not had sex while she was in her school uniform, saying 'that would be hot'.
They also had sex in his apartment, she said.
Some of the messages alleged to have been between the teacher and Ms A were retrieved, barrister Neasa Bird, for the director of the Teaching Council, said.
In one message the man allegedly told Ms A his mother was asking if he was seeing an 'old one' and he told her 'no, she's the complete opposite, ha ha, a young one'.
According to the message, his mother replied: 'Please say she's f**king legal.' Ms A said she believed he thought this was 'hilarious.'
'To be fair, your mother's allowed to drink your wine since we rode in her bed and her couch hahahahaha,' he allegedly said in another message.
Ms A told the inquiry he responded to a nude photo she sent: 'hahaha love it.'
Other messages read 'Should f**k soon', 'car sex later'.'
Ms B said on graduation night in May 2018, she was walking upstairs when the teacher 'slapped my bum two to three times.'
As they sat talking alone, she said, he played with the bow on her dress, saying he would like to undo it. Later, they were alone again in a dark corner when he kissed her and she did not pull away.
She left and was surprised he had done this on her graduation night, but 'he had always given off a creepy vibe.'
She said he added her on Snapchat and sent her a message: 'you should have come back to mine.' He continued to contact her with a 'flirty undertone,' she said. He allegedly sent a screenshot of an Instagram follow request from another student with the comment 'she wants it.'
He also sent her a 'd**k pic' of his genitals, she said.
Ms B said she blocked him because he 'had given me the creeps' but when he asked why, added him again because she felt she had to.
Ms A said when she realised he was sending them both the same messages, she sent Ms B a 'sugarcoated' letter telling her about the relationship without disclosing its sexual nature.
Ms Bird, for the director of the council, said the teacher had made submissions maintaining the complaint against him 'lacks detail'. He was not required to be present at the inquiry, and Ms Bird read from the submissions.
In them, he stated allegations from Ms A including that he kissed her best friend on graduation night were not corroborated.
He noted that the letter Ms A sent to Ms B stated 'nothing sexual occurred'.
He said there were 'significant doubts' as to the credibility of her account, her case was a 'weak one' and there was 'no public interest' in referring it to inquiry. There was 'nothing to suggest he had anything other than an exemplary record of teaching,' he submitted.
The inquiry continues next week.