TEACHER BANNED FOR LIFE AFTER ASSAULTING GIRL

A teacher has been prohibited from working in the profession for life after being found guilty of assaulting a girl during his time at a primary school in north Herefordshire. Jeremy Townend, aged 61, was banned following a hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). He received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Cambridge Crown Court in June 2022, after being convicted on five counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16. The misconduct took place in 2001 when Townend was employed at Orleton Church of England Primary School near Ludlow. Although the TRA panel noted that there was no evidence linking his criminal acts to his employment, Townend was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. The panel highlighted that he held a position of trust with the victim and her family, which he abused to pursue a sexual relationship, but found no evidence he had misused his professional role or pupils. Despite serving his sentence, Townend referenced the alleged offence in a letter to the TRA in 2023. The decision maker, Marc Cavey, concluded that Townend must never teach in any educational or youth facility within England, and cannot reapply for his teaching eligibility, emphasizing the severity of his misconduct involving sexual activity with a minor and his apparent lack of remorse or insight into his actions.