A school principal who sexually harassed a student teacher at his school in the west of Ireland eight years ago has been struck off the Register of Teachers after being found guilty of professional misconduct at a fitness-to-teach inquiry.
An inquiry panel of the Teaching Council also ruled that he cannot reapply to have his name restored to the register for at least 15 years after finding a series of allegations of inappropriate conduct by the principal towards the young female teacher proven.
In an e-mail to the regulatory body last July in response to the inquiry's findings, the principal claimed there was "not much left for the Teaching Council to take from me".
The married father of adult children, who cannot be identified as a result of a ruling by the panel, added: "I used to think I was a good man, husband, father and member of the teaching profession. I’m now a pariah and treated as if I had committed a murder. I’ve lost the life I used to have."
The three-person panel found five allegations of professional misconduct proven beyond reasonable doubt, including that the principal had sought to use his position to pursue an inappropriate, sexual relationship with the teacher.
At a sanction hearing, the panel was informed that the principal had suffered significant financial penalties as a result of his decision to take retirement earlier than he had intended last May.
In an e-mail he claimed he was now receiving one fifth of his former salary which equated to the loss of "a six-figure sum" to his pension.
"The financial penalty for the remainder of my life, whatever its duration, will be profound," he remarked.
Other findings against the principal included that he had locked the student teacher in the school on 20 April 2017 after all the students had left and tried to persuade her to have a relationship with him that he pointed out would be beneficial for her career.
The inquiry heard evidence that the principal had told her that there would be opportunities if she was "willing to treat him well" after declaring that he liked her.
The principal suggested during the same incident that they should book a hotel room in Dublin in order to get to know each other as well as go to theatres and operas together.
The panel also concluded that he had placed his hand inside the teacher’s jacket and touched and rubbed her back and waist during a variety show in the school on 24 March 2017 which was also attended by his wife and teenage daughter.
The principal sent the teacher a text message a few hours later at 1.40am which read: "Night, night [her name]. Delighted you could share our special occasion. Take care. [His name]."
The panel chaired by Paul Moroney ruled that the teacher had also committed various breaches of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers over his failure to maintain professional boundaries.
The inquiry heard the woman - who is now a fully qualified teacher in her 30s - only felt able to come forward to make a complaint about the principal in 2022.
The panel said she was "credible and consistent" during her appearance before a two-day inquiry last March, while it observed that her demeanour was "impressive" and her testimony was "compelling".
The principal, who denied all allegations of professional misconduct but accepted some facts in written correspondence to the Teaching Council, did not attend and was not legally represented at the opening day of the inquiry.
However, he unexpectedly appeared before the hearing on the following day after details of the case were widely reported in the media.
The principal claimed he was "stunned" by the teacher’s evidence and felt his personal and professional life were being "eviscerated and annihilated."
He told the inquiry that he was fighting for his livelihood and claimed his accuser’s testimony was "fantasy".
The inquiry panel was repeatedly told that he would not have risked his job and family for "some cheap sexual thrill".
The principal claimed he was being targeted as a middle-aged man and that the teacher’s allegations had "everything but race" in them.
However, the panel found that he was "not a convincing witness", despite his effective and efficient role in the school over many years.
The panel said he had not focused on the allegations against him apart from an outright denial and instead referenced his upbringing and achievements.
It noted his response to the allegations relating to the variety show and locking the teacher in the school were "utterly void of substance."
Counsel for the Teaching Council, Kate Egan BL, had called for the sanction to reflect the regulatory body’s view that the principal’s behaviour was "extremely serious" and "not an isolated event".
In a number of e-mails to the Teaching Council in recent months, the principal complained that the inquiry panel had made judgements on him based on "inaccurate" evidence, while he had never posed a risk to anyone during his career.
"The life I used to lead, which was a good, honourable life, has ended," he lamented.
He told the Teaching Council that he had been "in limbo" since the inquiry and "left wondering about the existential value of my life with its new pariah status".
Announcing the sanction, the inquiry chairperson said the principal’s actions had involved conduct of a most serious nature from a teacher in a position of power and authority which included an unsolicited and inappropriate invitation and surreptitious physical contact.
Mr Moroney said he had also engaged in predatory behaviour as well as proposing a relationship of a sexual and inappropriate nature with an attempted use of inducements and suggestions that he had also offered similar assistance to other women in the past.
"The events which occurred were frightening and intimidating for a young, quite vulnerable student teacher," said Mr Moroney.
He continued: "This was not an isolated lapse in judgement. The conduct involved repeated deliberate boundary violations and an abuse of power."
Mr Moroney said such conduct could not be tolerated or it would undermine confidence in the profession.
The panel noted that the principal had made no meaningful apology or shown any sign of remorse or insight, although it acknowledged his previous unblemished record as a teacher.
While it recognised that there were financial implications arising from his early retirement, it pointed out that his decision was a voluntary one which was taken before any sanction was announced.
Mr Moroney said any mitigating factors in the principal’s favour were "limited and sparse" and significantly outweighed by the gravity of his actions.
He said the panel did not believe a period of suspension was an appropriate sanction as it had concerns that the risk of his misconduct could be repeated.
Mr Moroney said the principal’s removal from the register was the only sanction to mark the gravity of the case and which would protect the public and maintain confidence in the profession.
"A strong message needs to be sent that the conduct engaged in by the principal was absolutely unacceptable," he concluded.
