BENJAMIN HANNEN

A school science technician has been removed from his professional register following an incident involving sexual activity with a teenage girl.

Benjamin Hannen was convicted in 2013 at Aylesbury Crown Court of engaging in sexual acts with a girl aged between 13 and 17.

He received a three-year community order that included supervision and participation in a program, was placed on the sex offenders register for five years, and was ordered to pay costs of £3,500.

Hannen claimed he did not intend to break the law and was unaware that his duties as a science technician carried the same legal responsibilities as those of teaching staff.

Before his conviction, he was suspended from his unnamed school in 2012, eventually resigning.

Recently, the National College of Teaching and Leadership evaluated his fitness to work in a school setting.

Their report highlighted that the misconduct involved serious sexual inappropriate behavior but noted that the sentencing judge considered the acts to be limited to kissing and classified the conduct at the lower end of the sentencing guidelines.

While a community order was imposed instead of jail time, the review panel observed that the case lacked many characteristics associated with serious sexual misconduct.

They acknowledged Hannen’s full cooperation with a sex offender program and his demonstrated remorse.

An assessment by the National Offender Management Service judged the risk of reoffending as low, with no recommendations for ongoing risk management.

The panel concluded that a review after two years would be appropriate, considering all circumstances, and recommended that Hannen could apply for this review at that time.