TEACHER BANNED AFTER ONLINE GROOMING CONVICTION
A former Dewsbury teacher has been permanently barred from the profession following his imprisonment for child sex offences.Liam I'Anson-North, aged 30, was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court in June 2023 of committing three online child sex offences.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) determined to ban him indefinitely, citing concerns about the risk of future misconduct and a lack of remorse after his conviction.
The panel outlined how I'Anson-North was caught through a police operation aimed at protecting vulnerable children online, after he initiated contact via social media with an account controlled by West Yorkshire Police.
He believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl but was actually speaking to an undercover officer.
Arrested in June 2021 at Ravensthorpe CE Junior School where he worked, he was charged and later convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and inciting a child to sexual activity, receiving a sentence of three years and four months in prison.
The conduct panel noted that although he maintained innocence initially, he accepted the allegations following his guilty verdict.
It was also emphasized that he showed no remorse, and in light of that, the decision was made that he should never teach in any school or relevant establishment in England, with the added note that his chance of future offending in this regard is high.
The court and TRA decision were motivated by concerns for public safety, and he has 28 days to appeal.
His activities first came to light in mid-2021 when he engaged with an undercover police officer, which led to his arrest and one of the prison sentences for child sex offences.
