A PE TEACHER had an ‘inappropriate’ lesbian relationship with one of her pupils, a  conduct hearing was told yesterday.

Nicola Webster, who taught The Abbey School, Faversham, Kent, appeared at a General Teaching Council hearing in Birmingham, accused of engaging in the relationship between February 2008 and the school Spring Term in 2009.

During the first day of the two-day hearing into unacceptable professional conduct, the panel heard that Miss Webster and the girl, referred to only as ‘Pupil A’ throughout the hearing, had started a relationship during a school ski-trip in February 2008.

It is alleged that Miss Webster was later seen in public kissing the Year 12 pupil and walking hand-in-hand with her by another member of staff.

She is also accused of sharing her one-bedroomed flat with the girl, and booking a week’s holiday in Palma for the two of them during the Valentine’s Day break in 2009.

The ten allegations surrounding the relationship include references to e-mail and social network communications, as well as photographs which suggested the pair were in a relationship together.

Opening the GTC’s case, presenting officer Stephanie Coates told the panel that an “inappropriate relationship started to form” between Miss Webster and the pupil during a ski trip in February 2009.

She added that a number of subsequent witness sightings of the pair together, as well as documentary evidence had led to an investigation by deputy headteacher Francis Hatt.

English teacher Angela Goss, who had been taking Pupil A for her AS levels, told the hearing that she had seen the girl with Miss Webster in Whitstable on March 16, 2008.

Mrs Goss said that she had seen them walking ‘alone, hand in hand along the seafront’.

In her statement, Mrs Goss said that the girl had leaned in and kissed Miss Webster three times before they went into a pub together.

She said that she followed them into the pub, but that neither approached her to explain what they were doing there.

She said: “As I walked in both Nicola Webster and Pupil A saw me.

“Pupil A immediately went off to the toilets.”

Questioning Mrs Goss, Miss Webster’s representative Simon Pettett suggested that the relationship between Mrs Goss and Pupil A had been strained.

He also said that Pupil A had claimed that she and Miss Webster were not alone on the seafront, and were in fact part of a larger group.

Pupil A had also claimed that she and Webster had met by chance, and that she had been in Whitstable with her boyfriend.

Mrs Goss said: “I can tell you categorically that I only saw Nicola Webster and Pupil A.

“There was nobody else with them.”

She also denied claims that she and Pupil A suffered from a “personality clash”.

She said: “As far as I am aware I had a perfectly normal relationship with her as a pupil and teacher.

“We spoke in class, discussed issues in class, I was not aware of anything like she’s suggesting about a personality clash.

“As far as I’m concerned she was a top grade student.”

The panel also heard that Pupil A left the school shortly after Mrs Goss reported what she saw in Whitstable.

Miss Webster, who was a newly-qualified teacher at the time, denies the allegations against her.

The hearing continues…

A PRIMARY school teacher was killed in front of her young daughter when a fire engine smashed into her car as it responded to an emergency call that turned out just to be a family barbecue, an inquest heard.

Helen Hunt, 39, was driving her nine-year-old daughter Laura to Brownies when her Citroen Saxo collided with the fire appliance in Northfield, Birmingham last year.

Laura suffered minor injuries in the crash while Mrs Hunt died early the next morning in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital of multiple injuries including a broken skull.

An inquest sitting at Sutton Coldfield magistrates court heard that the fire engine was responding to a 999 call from a member of the public reporting a fire in a block of flats – which later turned out to be a neighbour lighting a barbecue on their balcony.

The inquest heard that the engine was travelling at at least 48mph down the 30mph limited road, which it is permitted to do so in an emergency. It was driving down the middle of the road in order to maximise its visibility.

PC Nigel Powell, who had investigated the scene of the crash and is an expert in road traffic accidents, told the court that there was a 31 metre tyre mark left in the road from the fire engine as it attempted to avoid the collision.

He said that West Midlands Fire Service guidelines said emergency vehicles could travel at the speed limit plus 50 per cent with an extra tolerance of 10 per cent on top to account for speedometer error.

This put the engine travelling just inside the guidelines set out, but PC Powell pointed out under cross examination that they were just guidelines and the law allowed emergency vehicles to exceed the speed limit in an emergency with no limit.

Eyewitnesses had confirmed at a previous hearing that they saw the engine slam on its brakes and attempt to swerve to scrub off more speed and avoid the collision but to no avail.

The court was told back in April that the fire engine would have been in view for over six seconds  to Mrs Hunt in her Citroen Saxo before the collision.

Joe Poyton, who was driving the fire engine at the time, told police he had seen the back of Mrs Hunt’s head just before the impact, suggesting she had been looking the other way just before the two vehicles collided.

He said: “I did everything I could to try to avoid the collision.

“The lights and the siren were on. As I approached the junction the car pulled out into my path. At the point of impact the car was moving very slowly. A fraction after braking I steered to the left, but there wasn’t room for me to get past on the left.

“Had the car been further forwards there might have been.

“There was nothing I could have done to have avoided the collision.”

Teacher Nathan Hill saw the accident from his car. “The car pulled out and at that point I had a real moment of shock and horror of what I thought might happen,” he told the inquest. “As soon as the car pulled out I had an awful feeling about this one.

“I was pretty much fixated on what was going to happen.”

Assistant deputy coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe recorded a verdict of accident death today/yesterday (WED).  She said: “The fire engine was not breaking the law or any regulations from West Midlands fire department,” she said.

“The driver of the unit applied emergency braking as soon as he realised there was going to be a collision. Mrs Hunt had pulled out of a the junction slowly.

“It would appear she believed she was no longer in danger from vehicles coming from her right, she must have seen the fire engine at some point, but by that time she was unable to move forwards or backwards to avoid an accident.”

Mrs Hunt’s husband Shaun declined to comment after the case.

A SECONDARY school teacher lead a double life as a porn star and a stripper while teaching children, a tribunal has been told.

Hunky sex education teacher Benedict Garrett, aka Johnny Anglais, faces being struck off the teaching register after his seedy lifestyle was exposed while working at Beal High School, Ilford, Essex.

The 31-year-old faced allegations at a disciplinary hearing in Birmingham yesterday that he appeared in a trailer for porn channel Television X and ‘performed as a stripper in public place’.

Mr Garrett, former Head of Personal Social Health Education at the school, also owned a soft porn website, containing details of his work as a stripper, which could be freely viewed by pupils.

On the site, where he poses provocatively in firemen’s uniforms and bondage gear, he claims he has taught ‘young people to be open-minded, respectful, tolerant of others’ for the past four years.

It goes on to say he wants to  ‘unashamedly demonstrate the art of pleasure in the realms of fitness, sex and entertainment. ‘

Terese Wilmot, associate head of Beal High School, told the committee that an investigation had been launched into allegations that Mr Garrett was working in the adult industry in June 2010.

Students told teachers they had seen a link on Facebook to a porn movie trailer featuring Mr Garrett.

Investigations by Mrs Wilmot found that the trailer, for adult channel Television X, did feature Mr Garrett.

He was also found to have a sexual advice page on Facebook, under the name of ‘Johnny C**kfill’.

The committee was told that Mr Garrett was also investigated over concerns that he had contacted students via text messaging, e-mail and Facebook.

He had set up a second Facebook account under the name of ‘Zebrah Mahmood’ and left comments on pictures from a school trip to Spain.

The tribunal also heard he left inappropriate voicemail messages on the associate head teacher’s telephone in July last year.

After an investigation, a disciplinary hearing at the school in July 2009 resulted in Mr Garrett being issued with a final written warning.

Mr Garrett had submitted a letter of resignation in March 2010, informing the school of his intention to leave at the end of the academic year.

But he was suspended on June 29 2010 after allegations about his career in the adult industry surfaced.

He began working as a stripper in November 2009, the panel was told.

Presenting officer Christopher Whalley said: “The GTC’s case is that by undertaking work of a pornographic nature, that does undermine public trust and confidence, and brings the profession, and indeed Beal High School, into disrepute.”

Mr Garrett, dressed in a dark suit and glasses, represented himself at the hearing in Birmingham, and made an impassioned thirty-minute statement in his defence.

In a statement given to the panel at the conduct hearing, Mr Garrett again argued that teachers should be able to keep their professional and private lives separate.

He said that he felt it was important to “recognise that they are just a teacher and they have private lives.

“They may go out and get drunk off their faces,” he said.

“They are human and if they are doing it and it is legal that is their choice.”

Mr Garrett also said that he felt teachers have to live up to outdated standards.

He said: “I believe that if the General Teaching Council was to agree that what I did undermines public trust and confidence in the teaching profession, I believe that this is a symptom of what I call an immature national attitude to sex and viewing sex as a legitimate form of enjoyment and entertainment.”

The former teacher also admitted that he would speak openly with students – some in Year 7 – about sexual matters.

He added: “I was unembarrassed to talk about anything. I said ‘if you ask me in an appropriate manner I will tell you.”

He added that one year 7 pupil had asked him to explain what a vibrator was.

He said: “The student asked ‘sir, what’s a vibrator?’

“I told them what it was.”

Mr Garrett added that he thought schools should prepare children for the ‘real world’ and adapt to the increasing availability of pornography.

He said: “It is not going anywhere. Pornography is here to stay, the Internet is here to stay, social networking is here to stay.”

He added: “Being told that it’s wrong, that it’s immoral is not an appropriate response.”

Speaking outside the hearing Mr Garrett  said that he believed Brits are not open enough about sex.

He said: “We have one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the EU, and the reason is that we are just not open about sex.

“The habit is to shut it off and not talk about it.”

He added: “We have to prepare our students for the real world.

“Being naked is the most natural thing in the world.  I don’t see it as a damaging thing.

“Would I be embarrassed if a parent or student saw me naked in one of my videos?

“It might put them off having sex if they saw me.”

Teachers up and down the country drink and smoke but whether you agree with that or not it doesn’t stop them being amazing teachers in the classroom.

“I’ve looked up to people in my life but I didn’t expect them to be perfect in every realm of their lives.”

Mr Garrett admitted the allegations in principle but denied that they amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

The case continues.

A FORMER assistant head teacher “bullied, intimidated, undermined and victimised” her colleagues, including one young teacher who collapsed and died on school premises, a disciplinary panel has heard.

Moira Ogilvie, 40, appeared at a General Teaching Council (GTC) conduct hearing in Birmingham yesterday charged with unacceptable professional conduct.

It is alleged that, whilst employed as acting deputy head at High Greave Junior School, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, she ‘bullied’ staff and acted in an inappropriate manner towards children.

She is also alleged to have discussed confidential information, and asked members of staff to report on their colleagues behind each other’s backs.

The hearing heard how 29-year-old teacher Britt Pilton had been found dead at the school in February 2009.

GTC presenting officer Laura Ryan told the disciplinary panel that 11 members of staff had written to the school’s head teacher ‘within a matter of weeks’ of Miss Pilton’s death to complain about Miss Ogilvie’s behaviour.

The complaints regarded her behaviour towards Miss Pilton and other members of staff.

In her letter, fellow teacher Natalie Garbutt said that on the day of Miss Pilton’s death, she had been “concerned that photocopying she had left in the photocopier had been removed by Moira Ogilvie to substantiate claims in relation to her professional conduct.”

Miss Garbutt also claimed in her letter that Miss Ogilvie made comments “relating to her being glad about Britt being gone from the teaching staff following her death.”

Another member of staff, Rachel Green, wrote that Miss Ogilvie had remarked that Miss Pilton’s replacement was ‘a better teacher than Britt ever was’ in front of a child.

Giving a statement to the panel, former head teacher June Hitchcock said that the school had been ‘devastated’ by the loss of Miss Pilton.

She said staff were “devastated, completely. It was a total shock. It affected them, I would suggest it still affects them deeply.

“It was a huge loss professionally and personally for some of the staff who were very close to Britt Pilton.”

Speaking about the day Miss Pilton died, Mrs Hitchcock said that she had been told that the young teacher appeared ‘stressed’ when her photocopies had gone missing.

She said that Rachel Green had told her that she felt that ‘there was a connection between the disappearance of those particular resources and activity by Moira Ogilvie.”

Miss Green told Mrs Hitchcock that she later saw Miss Ogilvie using the same worksheets that had gone missing from the photocopier, although it was pointed out that no evidence was found to prove that they had belonged to Miss Pilton.

In her opening statement, Miss Ryan said that other teachers had reported that Miss Ogilvie “reduced staff to tears and spoke to people in an extremely unprofessional and threatening manner.”

In relation to the allegation of acting inappropriately towards pupils, Miss Ryan said that Miss Ogilvie had called an emergency assembly where she ‘yelled’ at children for ‘ruining the school’.

Miss Ogilvie denied the four allegations against her.

Her representative, Rhoda Andruchow, told the hearing that no other proceedings had been brought against Miss Ogilvie in relation to her conduct during her two years at the school.

She also said that no-one had approached Miss Ogilvie to speak to her regarding her behaviour.

She also denied that the relationship between Miss Ogilvie and Britt Pinton had been strained.

Reading from a statement made by Miss Ogilvie, Miss Andruchow said: “I never had any reason to believe that Britt Pilton was anything but a good friend to me.”

Miss Ogilvie was dismissed from the school in November 2009 following an investigation and a disciplinary hearing.

The hearing continues.

A TEACHER who ‘played truant’ by forging sick notes to excuse himself from class has avoided being sent to prison.

Kulvinder Billan, 31, forged half a dozen sick notes and a letter from a leading doctor so he could get out of teaching at Weston Favell School, Northampton.

A court heard he was paid £33,000 a year but could not face returning to teaching after being off work with stress.

As head of business studies, he submitted forged doctor’s notes over two academic years and then forged a letter from a professor as back up.

Michael Waterfield, prosecuting at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday, said: “He had a substantial amount of time off sick during his first academic year of 2009/10 which appears to be genuine and it was apparent he found it difficult for him to go back to school in the academic year 2010/11.”

The court heard Billan went off sick again in November 2010 and then sent in further sick notes, claiming to be suffering from polyps.

A senior staff member noticed the doctor’s signatures were not constant and informed police, while supply teachers were brought in as cover.

Mr Waterfield said pupils were left with no consistent teaching, while his absence cost the school £6,750 in employing supply teachers.

Billan, of Groby, Leicester, a father-of-three, who pleaded guilty to fraud and forgery, was sentenced to 51 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 200 hours’ community service and a three-month 7pm to 7am curfew.

Judge Lynn Tayton QC said: “It seems to me from some of the information I have received indicates you have been focusing on the effects upon you from all of this and lack of insight as to the effects on others and indeed to the institution, and to the public purse. It is extremely sad to see you before the court.”

Nick De Freitas, mitigating, said Billan was under a great deal of stress and in GBP45,000 debt.

He added: “He now has to live with the shame of his actions for the rest of his life. He did not deliberately set out to cheat the school. He felt harassed and just saw no way out.”

Billan now faces a disciplinary hearing with the General Teaching Council for England.

PUPILS yesterday returned to the school devastated by a coach crash tragedy which claimed the lives of one of its most popular teachers.  

A sombre mood gripped Alvechurch Middle School, Alvechurch, Worcestershire, as students arrived for morning classes.

A number of pupils gathered around a flagpole in the car park where candles and floral tributes to games and maths teacher Peter Rippington, 59, had been laid.  

Mr Rippington died on Sunday morning after the coach he was travelling in ran into a ditch in Northern France.

Today/yesterday (SUN), as the flag outside the school flew at half-mast, more pupils and parents left floral tributes at the scene.

Several pupils left apples, with which the popular teacher – known as ‘Mr Ripp’ – was associated.

By the end of the morning school run, dozens of bouquets, pictures and other tributes had been left.

Several pupils wept as they approached the school grounds, and had to be comforted by their parents.

Police stood guard at all three gates of the school complex, which also houses a junior school, as parents brought their children in.

Parents expressed shock at the death of Mr Rippington, described as a well-loved teacher who was known to many in the local area.

Parent Sharon McCann paid an emotional tribute to ‘Mr Ripp’ outside the school.

Fighting back tears as she praised the “inspirational” teacher, she said: “He could get the kids to do things that other teachers couldn’t.

“He was the best, he’s going to be missed so much, he was lovely.

“It’s a huge loss to the school.”

Mrs McCann, 40, added that Mr Rippington, who had been due to retire next month, was a well-known character in the small village.

She said: “He used to speak to everyone, he was so polite and friendly, he always had a good thing to say.

“He always rode his bike to school, he had a very healthy lifestyle.

“It’s so cruel, why does it always happen to the best?”

Mrs McCann said her son Cameron, 13, had been devastated when he heard news of the popular teacher’s death.

She said: “He always said when he had detention Mr Ripp would sit at the front of the class peeling his apple.

“When he heard he said he wanted to leave an apple with all the flowers as a tribute.”

Former pupil Rich Burnett, 22, said that Mr Rippington, who had been at the school for around 30 years, taught a great number of people in the village.

He said: “He was very well-known outside of the school and around the village.

“You couldn’t go through the school without being taught by him.

“He will be missed greatly – he was a funny guy who loved his job.

“It’s a real shock for the true villagers that this has happened.”

Staff at the school and the local Reverend also paid tribute to Mr Rippington.

Revd David Martin, Rector of Alvechurch, said Mr Rippington “gave his whole life to Alvechurch CE Middle School.”

He added: “Peter was very much part of the wider community in Alvechurch and will be missed by many.”

Rev Martin said that St Laurence’s Church in the village would be open all day for well-wishers to say prayers and light candles.

Chair of Governors Bryan Maybee also paid tribute to the “inspirational and dedicated” teacher.

He  said: “I am thankful to be able to confirm that the staff and children who were well enough to travel and are not staying in France, arrived back safely on Sunday night at around midnight.”

He added: “The headteacher’s focus at this time is, as I am sure you will understand, is being available to all who need her within the school.

“She joins me in praising Peter Rippington for all he has done for the school and local community over the years and her thoughts, as are mine, are with his family at this tragic time.”

Neighbour Pamela Wainwright, 28, came to pay her respects to her former teacher.

She said that Mr Rippington, who lived on the same street as her, would be remembered for the school trips he organised.

She said: “The main memory I’ll have is the ski trips and how he made it on those ski trips.

“He was just a fantastic man, he was a lovely man, very generous and supportive.

“It’s devastating really, especially for the family, it’s a tragic loss.”

A pervert teacher and ex-cop who secretly filmed women and children going to the toilet has been spared jail.

Creepy Alan English, 55, set up a camera in a female staff toilet at a posh grammar school and another in the loos of a botanical gardens.

He was caught after a female member of staff spotted a camera attached to the toilet bowl in the lavatories of posh King Edward VI Five Ways School in Bartley Green, Birmingham on November 8 last year.

But the dad-of-two walked free after he admitted eight counts of voyeurism at Birmingham Crown Court.

Sentencing English, Judge Melbourne Inman QC told him: “You have caused considerable distress to a number of victims.”

He was sentenced to a three-year community and supervision order.

English was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and banned from working with children.

The court heard the former Warwickshire Police officer was working as a teacher at the school when he set up the camera in the female staff toilets.

Shocked teachers downloaded the contents of the camera on to a laptop and discovered recorded images – including footage of English installing the equipment.

When he was arrested English told officers he bought a camera the year before for “innocent purposes” like recording his bike rides.

But he told police that whilst researching on the internet how to use the device he had discovered references to voyeurism and “intrigue had got the better of him“.

English had also pleaded guilty to one count of installing a camera for the purposes of voyeurism and a separate charge of possession of indecent images of children.

English told police he had planted a camera at an outdoor ladies’ toilets at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham on November 6, last year, for “testing purposes”.

Two days later he sneaked into the staff toilets at the school and attached a camera to a toilet bowl.

When officers raided his home police discovered “numerous files of footage of voyeurism and indecent images of children” on his laptop.

Police found 63 indecent images of children, ranked at the least serious category level one.

In addition, footage of films he had made by installing hidden cameras in various locations were found – including a woman and two teenage girls taking separate showers.

Regan Peggs, defending, said English was filled with remorse after an “impeccable” 20-year career in policing and teaching.

He claimed the “amateurish“ attempt at hiding the camera at the school may have been a cry for help.

The shamed teacher had since separated from his wife.

English refused to comment outside court on Tuesday.

A secondary school teacher has been jailed for five years after he bit off the tip of his wife’s nose during a blazing row.

Father-of-six Nicholas Gough, 59, held his wife Lynne down and chillingly told her ‘no-one will want you after what I am going to do to you’ and chomped off the end of her nose.

Possessive Gough then threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her as she screamed while blood poured from her nose following the frenzied attack in the garden of their home in Wolverhampton, a court was told.

On Friday Gough was jailed for five years after he admitted wounding with intent.

He did not react as his sentence was passed nor did his wife of 24 years, who sat in the public gallery surrounded by family.

Sentencing him at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Martin Walsh said:”The significant feature of this case is that during the course of that sustained attack, which was spontaneous but never the less sustained, you leaned over her and bit her nose with such force you removed the tip of her nose.

“You grabbed her by the throat and tried to kill her.

“She has had to have three operations and required plastic surgery. She has been permanently disfigured by your attack on her.”

The court heard Mrs Gough left her husband for another man in June last year. She had ‘had enough’ of his controlling and abusive behaviour and started a new relationship with a work colleague, the prosecution said.

But after her new partner died suddenly in July last year, she reconciled her marriage with Gough and returned to the matrimonial home.

The court was told on September 21 when the incident happened Gough came home from work and drank a bottle of wine in half an hour and became aggressive.

His wife was upset as it was her deceased partner’s birthday, sending Gough into a jealous rage.

Gough launched a tirade of abuse at his wife, calling her a ‘fat slag’ and accused her of f***ing a soldier when she went out at the weekend, it was said.

She left the house to diffuse the situation and returned 15 minutes later and sat in the gazebo of her garden.

It was when Gough reappeared five minutes later that the fight occured.

Prosecuting, Sati Ruck said:”He repeatedly punched Mrs Gough to the face using both of his hands. The defendent then dragged her down the bench by her legs, pinned her arms down, places his mouth over her nose and said’ no-one will want you after what I am going to do to you’ before biting the tip of her nose.

“The defendant leaned in close and said ‘stop screaming, I am going to kill you,’ tried to strangle her and said ‘if I can’t have you no-one else will.”

The couple have three children together and three between them from previous relationships.

Defending, John Rowe said Gough had suffered a breakdown due to pressures he was facing, which had a ‘drip drip’ affect- until the dam burst culminating in the incident.

‘He stands before you a man in turmoil,” Mr Rowe said.

“He accepts responsibility for his actions. He can’t fully remember the incident.”

Primary school teacher Alex Hyde was left speechless after her boyfriend proposed – in front of the entire SCHOOL.

Romantic bus driver Bob Doyle popped the question at a specially arranged assembly.

Bob, 49, even made a video of himself singing the couple’s favourite love song which was showed on a giant screen in front of 700 pupils and staff.

He then took Alex, 38, onto the stage of Newbridge Preparatory School, Wolverhampton, West Mids., where he went down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

The pupils then erupted into cheers when she said “yes” during the assembly last Friday morning.

She said: “I was watching the screen thinking ‘that looks a bit like Bob.

“It took me a few seconds to realise what was going on – I was in complete shock.”

Bob, from Perton, West Mids., filmed himself singing Bruno Mars’s ‘Marry You’ in locations where the couple had enjoyed romantic breaks.

He said: “I filmed and edited it all myself. During one scene, I was singing on the beach and I was getting more than a few funny looks from people passing by.

“But it was all worth it to see Alex’s reaction.

“Marry You is our song, we always sing it when we’re doing the washing up, so I knew I wanted to do that.”

The couple plan to marry this summer.

THE head of PE at a Catholic school asked a female student to perform an oral sex act on him before raping her, a court has heard.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court was told that Matthew Fludgate, 34, from Stourport-on-Severn, convinced the then 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to go back to his hotel room with him after a leavers’ party.

The girl, who is now 19, said she had been drinking heavily for much of the evening, and could not remember going to the popular Walkabout bar in Birmingham city centre.

She said that she had exited the club at around 3 am on May 29th, when Mr Fludgate told her that all her friends had already left.

She had been attending a leaving party for students at St Edmund Campion School, Erdington.

The party had started at Old Orleans restaurant in the city centre, before moving to the Australian-themed Walkabout bar afterwards.

The girl had told the court at yesterday’s hearing that she had been ‘very drunk’ for much of the evening.

Choking back tears as she gave evidence from behind a blue screen, the girl said she had told the teacher that she would make her way home in a taxi, but that Mr Fludgate had convinced her that it would not be safe.

She said: “I just remember him saying my friends had gone and left me, and the safest option would be to go with him.

“He asked me if I wanted to go to a hotel, I said ‘no I’ll get in a taxi’.

“He said ‘no, you can’t go in a taxi on your own, all your friends have gone. The safest option is to come with me and I will put you in a taxi.”

After leaving the Walkabout, the girl said that the pair made their way to a nearby hotel, where the teacher was staying due to his home in Stourport being far away.

She claimed that, after entering the room, she sat on the bed before Mr Fludgate asked ‘will you give me head?’ but she refused.

Fludgate then asked the girl if she would have sex with him, and she refused because she was on her period.

Despite this, she alleged that Fludgate told her: “It will be alright, I’ve had sex with girls on their period before.”

After that, the girl said that Fludgate removed her underwear before performing an oral sex act on her.

She said that, after several requests to stop performing oral sex, he did, before moving on to have penetrative sex with her against her will.

The morning after, the girl said that Fludgate had told her not to tell anyone what had happened and that they were both at fault.

She said: “He made out that we were both in the wrong and that it was wrong that it had happened and he said to keep it to myself and not tell anyone.

“And if it got out, to say that he had put me in a taxi at the end of the night.

“He said we had both crossed the line.”

The girl told the court that she had told her friend what had happened the morning after, and eventually told her headteacher what had happened after initially keeping quiet.

Defending, Tarlow Dubb put it to the girl that she had been pressured by her friends into making a rape allegation.

He said: “This allegation has been brought about by your friends, who were not in that hotel room, and that you and them have got your heads together and pressured you to say that what happened in that room was rape.

He added: “You have created this story to explain to your friends where you slept the night…and perhaps to explain to the teachers or your mum and dad.”

The girl admitted that she had felt “embarrassed” and “scared” but denied fabricating the allegation.

Mr Dubb also mentioned that rumours at the school had linked the complainant with a different PE teacher the previous year, after another leavers’ party which ended at the same branch of Walkabout.

It was claimed that the girl kissed the teacher.

She denied this, but the rumours  resulted in meetings with social workers and the police.

As well as a charge of rape, Fludgate also faces a serious sexual offence charge and a charge of a sexual assault against another pupil.

The trial continues.

The post PE teacher charged with rape of pupil appeared first on News Today.

A TEACHER who paraded around his back garden performing lewd acts while using a penis pump has been put on a sex offenders’ treatment programme.

Ian Lavender, 46,  was given a three-year community order after admitting to repeatedly exposing himself to neighbours while in a state of arousal at his house over a five-year period.

Mr Lavender who taught at Bishop Stopford School, Kettering,Northants, would walk around his garden picking flowers, sitting on the fence and perform a sex act, Northampton Crown Court heard on Monday.

Tim Brown, prosecuting, said Mr Lavender, a short balding man with glasses, would sometimes have a sexual apparatus and was apparently always in a state of arousal.

“He, from about 2005, began engaging in a strange form of activity,” said Mr Brown.

“He took to being in his garden, naked, observed by a neighbour.”

The neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac in The Downs, Wellingborough, failed to raise their concerns with Lavender or make an official complaint until July 3 last year, the court was told.

One neighbour became “seriously upset and worried” five days later when seeing father-of-two Lavender lie on top of his child’s climbing frame using the apparatus so the neighbour called the police.

When officers arrived at the front door, they observed that Lavender was apparently still in a state of arousal, the court was told.

A pre-sentence report on Lavender suggested he may have attention deficit disorder or Asperger’s syndrome and failed to understand the impact of his actions on others, the court heard.

Adrian Langdown, mitigating, said Lavender’s problems originated from his low self-esteem. He also pointed out that the garden had a high fence and hedges and suggested that Lavender could only be seen from one window of one house.

Lavender’s wife, a Christian, has supported him throughout the case, despite him being banned from the family home until May, the court heard.

The couple have attended a Christian retreat in Sussex called “the truth about relationships” in a bid to help Lavender tackle his problem.

Judge Charles Wide QC said: “It’s plain that you are in the great majority a very good man. But you do have a significant difficulty and it has manifested itself in a sexual way.”

Bishop Stopford School were unavailable for comment.

The post Teacher paraded around garden with penis pump appeared first on News Today.

A BORED student was taken to hospital after she yawned so hard during a boring lecture that her mouth got stuck wide open.

Holly Thompson,17, from Kingsthorpe, Northampton, was in a Government and Politics lecture at Northampton School for Girls when she expressed her level of interest in the usual way.

However, to her horror she opened her mouth so wide she dislocated her jaw, and was unable to close it again.

She attracted the attention of a friend who tried in vain to close her mouth before the teacher noticed, but only caused more pain.

Holly said: “I was so shocked, my expression probably said it all.

“I nudged my friend to show her what had happened but I was so embarrassed.

“When we realised we couldn’t close it, she had to tell the teacher. Everyone burst out laughing, it was awful.”

Although the condition looked amusing, doctors consider a broken jaw to be serious, as patients are in pain and can quickly become dehydrated as they cannot eat or drink properly.

After teachers were alerted, Holly was taken to the school nurse who tried everything from a hot water bottle under the chin to ice packs to try to free it.

When it showed no sign of improvement, she was taken to Northampton General Hospital where her jaw was eventually freed by forcing 26 wooden splints in her mouth.

The unusual method, performed by Dr Ejiro Obakponovwe, worked and opened the jaw enough to unlock it.

Miss Thompson said: “It was really bad at the hospital. I had to sit in the waiting room with a scarf over my mouth so nobody could see what had happened.

“It was really difficult to communicate with doctors as well and I thought they were just going to give me some medicine, not put splints in there.”

The episode was captured by the TV cameras of BBC Three series Bizarre ER, which screened her discomfort this week.

Miss Thompson said: “My friends keep coming up to me and asking how my jaw is and saying I’m famous.

“Its all over You Tube and I was mortified at first but I can see the funny side now.

“The American TV presenter Ryan Seacrest tweeted it too, which is great but I think I’d rather be famous for something else.”

The post Bored student dislocates jaw yawning appeared first on News Today.

A RELIGIOUS education teacher has been struck off indefinitely after admitting to a sordid sex encounter with a pupil.

Erin La Porte, who taught RE  at Princes Risborough School, Bucks, was struck off indefinitely by the General Teaching Council after a panel heard she had slept with the youngster during her year-long tenure.

La Porte confessed to a colleague during a trip to Vietnam that she had slept with the youngster – known only as ‘Pupil A’ – in July 2007.

Upon their return, her shocked teacher reported her to Pete Rowe, head of the school.

Police were called to investigate, but no action was taken against the teacher, who was 26 at the time.

The panel warned she might repeat her behaviour if she was allowed to continue teaching.

Princes Risborough head Pete Rowe has said he was satisfied with the outcome.

A committee ruling said: “This was a serious instance of unacceptable professional conduct where a lesser sanction is not appropriate.

“The conduct is fundamentally incompatible with Ms La Porte continuing to be a registered teacher.

“Given the lack of insight demonstrated by Ms La Porte, the committee is not satisfied that she does not pose a significant risk of repeating the behaviour.”

The GTC heard that La Porte had been warned by two teachers that she should maintain ‘professional boundaries’ with the youngster, who was a male over the age of 16, before she slept with him.

The ruling continued: “Ms La Porte should have realised the implications of her actions for Pupil A, pupils in general, the school and the teaching profession.

“We are not satisfied that she has demonstrated sufficient insight into the serious implications of her relationship with Pupil A.”

La Porte was struck off the Teaching Register indefinitely, and told she cannot apply to re-register for at least four years.

She was not present at the hearing, held in Birmingham on Wednesday.

The panel heard that La Porte was employed at the school between September 2006 and September 2007 as a newly-qualified teacher.

In September 2007 she went travelling to Vietnam with fellow Princes Risborough teacher Zettie Taylor, when she admitted that she had slept with the youngster that July.

Mrs Taylor reported it to Mr Rowe, and on August 31 2007 La Porte confessed to the relationship to the headmaster.

After an investigation carried out by deputy head Wendy Mason, the teacher was suspended, and on September 18 that year La Porte was dismissed for gross misconduct.

The GTC report stated: “The conduct arose out of Ms La Porte’s professional duties, and the committee consider that her failures had the potential to affect pupils.

“Ms La Porte has not expressed regret or apologised for her actions in these proceedings.”

A statement from headteacher Mr Rowe said: “Over three years ago, a teacher behaved completely unprofessionally and the school acted swiftly, correctly and robustly following local authority guidelines and with support of the relevant teacher union.

“The GTC have considered the case and come to a considered judgement on it.

“Both the teacher and the student were offered appropriate support throughout the investigation and its aftermath.”

And he added: “This incident, however unfortunate, reflects well on our willingness to always professionally address any and all areas of concern.”

It is believed that La Porte moved abroad after leaving the school.

The post RE teacher admits sleeping with a pupil appeared first on News Today.

A university teacher from UK claims that he took the picture of fairies. The 53 years lector, ex member of the punk formation The Three Johns, showed some photos picturing some insects that look like fairies. He claims that the photos were not modified at all. Many people that saw those already changed their opinion about the existence of fairies, according to Dangerous Minds.

“It was shocking when I discovered those, and this is why I took several photos”, said the teacher for the Manchester Evening News. “Then, I took some photos of mosquitoes and flies, but they simply don’t look the same. People can decide what they are. All I have to say to them is to approach the matter with an open mind”.

John Hyatt knows that some other people already sustained the existence of fairies, so he displayed the images in front of the public, and those can form their own beliefs.
“It is a stereotype, whatever that is. There are weirder things than fairies, and life develops everywhere. I don’t believe that they are smaller versions of us, which go home to drink a tea at the end of the day, but it is clear that those are living beings. Some ask if they have special powers. I caught them dancing and enjoying a dance in the sun. Those are only beautiful photos, and beautiful photos can convince the people to believe.”

The fairies are semi-divine feminine presences from the mythologies of different countries. There are good and bad fairies. The good ones are beautiful girls, friendly to people and ready to help, while the bad ones are those that punish people for their bad behaviour. It is not the first time when somebody claims to take photos of fairies, but it is the first time when we have such a clear photo of fairies…or a well done fake!

The post Fairies Photographed For The First Time? appeared first on News Today.

A fantasist who pretended to be a wealthy deputy head teacher and a cancer patient to swindle landlords out of £30,000 has been jailed.

Devious Diana Dowe, 52, forged letters from a bogus head head teacher saying she could afford to pay for plush properties between March 2010 and October 2014.

A court heard she even invented a sob story to stop landlords from evicting her, claiming she had brain cancer and leukaemia and was undergoing chemotherapy.

The scheming mum-of-two entered into fraudulent tenancy agreements for three homes in Wolverhampton, West Mids.

But all the while she was unemployed and living off benefits.

In March 2010 she fooled her way into a tenancy agreement for one house and racked up whopping rent arrears before she was evicted in September 2012.

Just three months later she moved into another property where she stayed until August 2013 before moving to a third until October 2014.

West Midlands Police began investigating Dowe after court orders were sent to her remanding payment but she ignored them.

They discovered she had a previous conviction for a £20,000 benefits scam and had there was no record of her attending hospital appointments for cancer treatment.

Last Thursday (7/4) Dowe, of Telford, Shrops., was sentenced to 18 months behind bars after admitting fraud by false representation at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Detective Constable Richard Potts, from the West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit, said: “The total amount of money owed to the three landlords is £29,352.

“She has amassed a huge amount of debt simply through living beyond her means.

“She didn’t just run into financial difficulty and it wasn’t a case of poor money management. Dowe knew she could not afford rents.

“She tricked estate agents, claimed to be suffering from cancer and faked attending hospital appointments in order to bide herself more time to live in these properties.

“Dowe created the impression she was an experienced teacher with a well-paid job but in reality she was unemployed and living off benefits.

“The motive for the fraud was purely to live in homes that were beyond her means.

“This was an extreme case but it’s really important that landlords carry out thorough checks on tenant references, however convincing they may appear.”

The post FANTASIST PRETENDED TO BE DEPUTY HEAD WITH CANCER TO SWINDLE £30,000 appeared first on News Today.

Engineers have developed a robotic shopping trolley for elderly customers based on a drawing by a boy who simply wanted to help his gran.

Aidan McCann, 13, dreamed up a push cart with height adjustment features to help his grandmother Lydia who “isn’t very strong”.

He witnessed how the pint-sized 75-year-old finds it difficult to carry groceries from the shops and perform other physically demanding tasks due to her height.

But Aidan came up with a solution — a trolley that “can change heights so elderly people don’t have to lift their bags very far”.

The primary school pupil scribbled down the idea and it was so good: it won him the top award in a national engineering competition.

And a prototype of Aidan’s “Trolley for the Elderly” has now been unveiled for the first time following a collaboration project with a leading university.

The young inventor said it was an “amazing piece of engineering”.

Aidan said: “My gran has quite weak arms and whenever I help around the house she struggles with weights.

“I thought of something to help her with the shopping.

“When I saw the working trolley for the first time I was amazed. It’s an amazing piece of engineering and it was amazing to see it come to life. I’d love to be an engineer now.

“When my gran seen it, she really loved it. It was designed for her.”

Aidan, who will go on to S2 at Fortrose Academy, Highlands, submitted his idea to a national competition while he was a P7 pupil at Cromarty Primary,

Beside a simple blueprint of the trolley, he wrote: “If I were an engineer in Scotland, I would invent a trolley for the elderly.

“The trolley can change heights so elderly people don’t have to lift their bags of shopping very far.

“I invented this for my gran because she isn’t very strong.”

His design caught the eye of the judges at the Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award in 2015.

Bosses at engineering giant Doosan Babcock were so impressed with Aidan’s design they selected it as their overall winner.

And a team of final year Mechanical Engineering students from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, selected it to build.

The pupil met with up with the group in December and outlined his vision behind the invention and his ideas for the prototype.

And he has now been able to test the working prototype for the first time after it was presented to the world at an awards ceremony.

He said: “It was great to see the prototype for the first time. Engineers always have a solution to a problem. The trolley can help people who struggle with height.

“I want to be a mechanical engineer — work in a car garage or something like that. That’s my dream.”

Aidan’s grandmother, Mrs Lydia Webster, 76, a retired social care worker with the Church of Scotland, said was was proud of her grandson.

She said: “Aidan’s a good boy.

“He was helping me with jobs that I couldn’t do because I’m just 4ft 11in tall.

“Then he came up with an idea for the trolley. When he was thinking it up he said ‘I got the idea from you gran’.

“I was quite proud of him, designing something like that. He always says he wants to be an engineer.

“It’s such a good idea. You press the button and it goes up or down, depending on your height. I think it could be good for people with disabilities.”

Users can make the trolley go up and down by the flick of a switch.

An adjustable flap at the front of the basket and rolls at it’s base enable the shopping to be easily pushed out of the cart.

Dr Andrew McLaren, Vice Dean Academic at Strathclyde’s Faculty of Engineering, who supervised the project, said: “This project was great experience for the students and we were all delighted to be able to help Aidan turn his imaginative work into reality.”

Keith Lorraine, guidance teacher at Fortrose Academy said: “It’s an absolutely brilliant invention and it’s done wonders for his confidence.

“It’s one of these inventions where you think — ‘It’s dead simple. Why has no one thought of it before.’

“I’m sure it will benefit a lot of people out there.”

And Aidan’s mum, Ms Helen Webster, 49, a teacher, added: “It was really fantastic to see the whole design process right through from start to finish. It’s been really good.

“I’m so proud of him. I said ‘get that in your personal statement’.”

The post SCHOOLBOY INVENTOR’S PRIDE AFTER ENGINEERS BUILD TROLLEY INSPIRED BY HIS WEAK GRAN appeared first on News Today.

Teachers suffering from burnout can pass their stress on to their pupils – impeding the youngsters’ learning and disturbing their behaviour, according to new research.

The study is the first of its kind to examine the connection between teacher burnout and childrens’ cortisol levels, which are a biological indicator of stress.

Researchers in Canada collected saliva samples from more than 400 school children, aged nine to 13, and tested their cortisol levels.

They found that in classrooms in which teachers experienced more burnout, or feelings of emotional exhaustion, students’ cortisol levels were elevated.

Higher cortisol levels in school children have been linked to learning difficulties as well as mental health problems.

Study lead author Professor Eva Oberle, of the University of British Columbia’s school of population and public health, said: “This suggests that stress contagion might be taking place in the classroom among students and their teachers.

“It is unknown what came first – elevated cortisol or teacher burnout. We consider the connection between student and teacher stress a cyclical problem in the classroom.”

Prof Oberle said a stressful classroom climate could be a result of inadequate support for teachers, which may impact teachers’ ability to effectively manage their students.

A poorly managed classroom can contribute to students’ needs not being met and increasing stress. This could be reflected in elevated cortisol levels in students.

Alternatively, stress could originate from students, who may be more challenging to teach because of increases in anxiety, behavioural problems, or special needs. In this scenario, teachers could feel overwhelmed and report higher levels of burnout, said Prof Oberle.

She added: “Our study is a reminder of the systemic issues facing teachers and educators as classroom sizes increase and supports for teachers are cut.”

Co-author professor Kimberly Schonert-Reichl said: “It is clear from a number of recent research studies that teaching is one of the most stressful professions, and that teachers need adequate resources and support in their jobs in order to battle burnout and alleviate stress in the classroom.

“If we do not support teachers, we risk the collateral damage of students.”

The findings were published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.

The post BURNED OUT TEACHERS ‘CAN PASS THEIR STRESS ON TO STUDENTS’ appeared first on News Today.