CHORLEY TEACHER BANNED FOR INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES WITH CHILD

A former Lancashire teacher named Philip Bayley, who previously worked at St Michael's School in Chorley, has been banned from the teaching profession indefinitely following grave misconduct. Bayley's offenses include sharing sexually explicit images with a young girl, specifically a 12-year-old, during communications on Kik and Snapchat between April 4 and April 12, 2024. He exchanged inappropriate messages, including offering to take her to the zoo or park and making suggestive comments about intimate encounters, such as "making out in the back of the cinema." Bayley also sent indecent photographs of himself and offered to buy her gifts like a Hello Kitty pyjama set and a lace bodysuit, expressing a desire to see her in such attire. The misconduct was uncovered after he was arrested on April 15, 2024, following a police sting operation, leading to the termination of his employment. At a misconduct hearing, it was established that Bayley's actions, which included intentional communication with a person he believed to be under 16 for sexual gratification and sending images of his genitals, breached the trust placed in him as a teacher and posed a severe risk to children. He had previously received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. The panel's report emphasized his failure to uphold his responsibilities to protect children, and a prohibition order was recommended, with no review period.