MAN FOUND GUILTY OF ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES IN PLYMOUTH
Update 15/06/2026: A former educator in Cornwall has been given a lifelong ban from the teaching profession following a conviction for sexual offences.Stephen Squire, who was employed at Penrice Academy in St Austell during 2019 and 2020, was found guilty after a trial at Plymouth Crown Court in December 2023.
The jury determined that Squire had sent explicit videos of himself to what he believed was a 12-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover police officer.
The court was informed that Squire, residing in South Brent, Devon, dispatched two videos showing himself masturbating and communicated with the supposed child through various messaging platforms including Snapchat, Kik, and Chat Avenue in June 2020.
In 2024, Squire received a 40-month prison sentence after being convicted of trying to persuade a child under 13 to perform sexual acts, attempting to induce a child to view such acts, and engaging in sexual communication with a minor.
He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and ordered to adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, which restricts his online activities.
A misconduct panel from the Teaching Regulation Agency concluded that Squire’s conviction raises significant concerns regarding safeguarding for future students.
Allowing him to continue teaching would undermine public confidence in the teaching profession.
The panel emphasized that Squire’s conduct was intentional, as he persistently engaged in sexual correspondence with someone claiming to be a child.
The TRA panel said: "We are satisfied that Mr Squire's offending behaviour was a calculated course of conduct.
There was no evidence to suggest that Mr Squire was acting under extreme duress, such as a physical threat or significant intimidation.
"The panel considered that Mr Squire had not taken full accountability for his actions.The panel considered that there was no evidence of Mr Squire displaying any remorse for his actions.
As such, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Squire demonstrated any insight into his conduct, meaning the risk of him repeating his behaviour is high." David Oatley, chairman of the TRA panel concluded his reported dated May 26: "In this case, factors mean that allowing a review period is not sufficient to achieve the aim of maintaining public confidence in the profession.
"These elements are the serious nature of the offences of which Mr Squire was convicted and received a sentence of imprisonment, the lack of insight and remorse, and the risk of repetition.
I consider therefore that allowing for no review period is necessary to maintain public confidence and is proportionate and in the public interest.
"This means that Mr Stephen Squire is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
"Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Squire shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach." ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A former teacher from South Brent named Stephen Lewis Squire has been convicted of sending explicit videos and messages to a girl he believed was 12 years old, but who was in fact an undercover police officer.
The trial took place at Plymouth Crown Court, where it was disclosed that Squire communicated with the officer through social media platforms including Snapchat, KIK, and Chat Avenue from June 3 to June 29, 2020.
During the proceedings, it was stated that Squire claimed to be 34 years old, living in Devon, and working as a teacher.
He sent images of his face and engaged in sexual conversations, which involved sending explicit images of himself and requesting the same from his supposed young victim.
The court heard that he had been told the girl was only 12 and demonstrated behaviour typical of a child, such as attending school.
Judge Matthew Turner detailed the nature of the exchanged messages, which included encouraging the girl to insert her fingers into her vagina, asking her to repeat the act, and sending videos of himself masturbating.
The court also revealed that Squire discussed her touching his penis and expressed a desire for her to lick it and put it in her mouth.
In mitigation, Squire’s solicitor argued that he continued to deny the charges and had no prior convictions.
It was also highlighted that the offences took place over less than a month and that Squire had not engaged in any similar crimes since 2020.
The court was told that Squire lost his teaching position as a consequence of his actions, but the judge acknowledged his understanding of the potential harm caused by online sexual exploitation of children.
Squire was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
The judge ordered that he serve half of this sentence before being released, with the remaining half to be served on license.
Furthermore, he was placed on the sex offender register indefinitely, subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years, and bans or disqualifications were also imposed.
