May 2013 Sex offender teacher turned EastEnders actor fired after former pupils spot him on soap Rob Turner was convicted in 2009 of sexual activity with a young girl But 39-year-old Essex actor was on BBC soap as extra in 2011 scene EastEnders did not know of his conviction before he was on show A sex offender teacher was spotted acting in EastEnders by his former pupils Rob Turner, 39 – a former music teacher who admitted sexual activity with a young girl at Basildon Crown Court in Essex four years ago – was on the popular BBC soap for one episode as an extra. Turner was sacked from the programme after he was seen appearing with stars such as Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale, and Cheryl Fergison, who played Heather Trott, reported The Sun. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and given a suspended one-year jail sentence in 2009 after being charged with ten counts of sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 17. Turner, of Leigh-on-Sea, who was sacked as a teacher, is still on the register and each year is seen by authorities. He told The Sun: ‘I believe EastEnders had a complaint. They hit the panic button.’ The revelations of his 2011 appearance come as the fallout continues at the BBC from child sex scandals involving the corporation’s late former DJ Jimmy Savile and veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall. An EastEnders spokesman said a complaint was made about Turner by a viewer, before the show contacted his agency. He then confirmed the conviction when asked about it by the agency, she said. The spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Rob Turner appeared as an extra in one episode and as soon as EastEnders were made aware of the allegations we immediately stopped working with him. ‘EastEnders books supporting artists through agencies that have undergone an approval process with the BBC. ‘EastEnders was not notified prior to Mr Turner’s appearance of his conviction and had we known, we would not have employed him.  ‘EastEnders has the highest safeguarding procedures in place for any child working on the show, which are held up across the industry as best practice.  ‘Every young person has a chaperone with them at all times and at no point could anyone be left alone with a minor.’