ROBERT ROSKELLY SHOCKS LEICESTER WITH DRUG AND PUPIL OVERNIGHT SLEEPS SCANDAL

In March 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving Robert Roskelly, a former teacher at Winstanley Community College located in Braunstone, Leicester. The incident centered around allegations of inappropriate conduct, drug use, and inappropriate overnight stays with pupils, which ultimately led to his lifelong ban from the teaching profession.

Roskelly, aged 33 at the time, was found to have engaged in multiple breaches of professional standards set for educators. A misconduct panel convened by the National College for Teaching and Leadership meticulously examined the case and confirmed that he had committed eight serious violations. These violations involved his interactions with three male students, referred to in the report as pupils A, B, and C.

It was established that Roskelly admitted to taking mephedrone and other legal highs alongside Pupil C. Although he did not attend the hearing in person, he was legally represented and acknowledged his presence when Pupil A became ill after consuming a legal high drug. Furthermore, he confessed to giving money to Pupil C—£80 on one occasion and £20 on another—to facilitate trips to the cinema for both Pupil C and Pupil A. It was also revealed that Roskelly was aware that Pupil C used some of this money to purchase illegal drugs.

The misconduct panel found that pupils A and C had stayed overnight at Roskelly’s home on at least one occasion. Additionally, he admitted to sleeping overnight at Pupil A’s residence on at least two separate occasions. On one of these occasions, Pupil A’s mother was present, while on another, she was away due to being hospitalized. The panel also uncovered that Roskelly visited Pupil B’s home and spent time alone with him in his bedroom. A second student present during one of these visits reported that Pupil B was only wearing his underpants at the time, raising further concerns about the nature of these interactions.

Beyond these allegations, the panel reviewed other misconduct issues. It was proven that Roskelly held an unauthorized fitness class on school premises, during which several boys were topless. This activity was conducted without approval and was considered a breach of school rules. Moreover, he violated strict policies by maintaining friendships with pupils and former pupils on Facebook, despite being explicitly told by his headteacher that such relationships were inappropriate.

The hearing details, which were publicly posted on the professional body’s website, also noted that Roskelly’s legal representative requested the hearing be held in private. However, this request was denied by the panel, emphasizing the seriousness of the case.

In her final ruling, Jayne Millions of the National College for Teaching and Leadership declared that Robert Roskelly must be banned for life from teaching in any educational or youth accommodation setting across England. She emphasized that such conduct could severely undermine public confidence in the teaching profession. Her report highlighted that Roskelly expressed regret over his actions, attributing his poor decisions to involvement with a problematic group and the influence of legal highs during a period when he was under 30. His legal representative argued that his actions were immature and lacked full understanding of their gravity at the time.

Despite his remorse, the panel concluded that due to the severity of the proven allegations, Roskelly would not be eligible to apply for reinstatement or restoration of his teaching license. The ruling, issued on February 27, grants him 28 days to appeal to the courts if he chooses to do so.