Teacher banned for sending sexual messages to girl
GoogleA teacher who exchanged sexual messages with a 13-year-old girl has been banned from the profession.
A professional conduct panel found Liam Walker engaged in inappropriate online conversations with the child despite knowing her age.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said his actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and were likely to bring the profession into disrepute.
Walker, 31, admitted the allegations, which dated to August 2024 when he was employed at the Sir William Stanier School in Crewe.
He was then employed as a religious education teacher at the Ormiston Meridian Academy in Stoke-on-Trent before he was dismissed.
The panel heard he contacted the girl via an online chatroom and Snapchat, where he asked a series of intrusive questions, including about her sexual experience and whether she was "looking for sex".
It said the messages were "explicit in nature" and found Walker had failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Walker told the panel he had been trying to warn the child about the risks of being exploited by other users online but this explanation was rejected by the panel.
The panel said he had failed in his duty of care by exposing the girl to the risk of being groomed and not safeguarding her welfare.
He was arrested in September 2024 on suspicion of sexual communication with a child and dismissed from his job at the Ormiston Meridian Academy days later.
On 8 April the panel recommended a prohibition order, which was upheld by a decision-maker on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education.
The TRA's report, published yesterday, said that Walker had been barred from teaching indefinitely. He cannot work in schools or other educational settings in England. He may apply to have the ban reviewed after five years.
The report added that the order was necessary to protect pupils and maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.
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