FORMER SCHOOL TEACHER CONVICTED OVER IMAGES
A teacher has been disqualified from the profession after claiming he downloaded images of child abuse in order to expose "legal" adult websites for a book he was composing.David Taylor, aged 58, was employed at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Walthamstow when he accessed these illegal images in the year 2020.
He was suspended from his position at the school in June 2020 following his arrest by Essex Police.
Subsequently, Mr Taylor pleaded guilty to four counts of producing indecent images of children, and in February of the following year, he received a community order.
In recent disciplinary proceedings, a teaching regulation panel revealed that Mr Taylor is described as feeling “bitter and angry” about the justice system, claiming he only admitted guilt because he saw no other choice.
He explained that he obtained the images from websites deemed "legal" with the aim of revealing the website owners.
He described himself as a passionate advocate for children’s rights, and his frustration grew when he believed the government was not removing such illegal content, leading him to “lost the plot” He revealed plans to confront website operators with the images as part of his book project.
During court proceedings, a judge stated: “Whatever the motivation, your behaviour is still of real concern.
“It is clear from all of the information that has been uploaded on your behalf, you have become obsessive and you have appointed yourself as a guardian to children, but you are not a child protection officer, you are not an academic researcher, you are not a police officer, and in fact you probably are not helping.
“The very fact that in downloading images a market is created, whatever the motivation of the person who downloads them.
“The very fact that those images are downloaded creates the market and that is a stark example, isn’t it, of whatever your motivations, your actual actions defeated the purpose, and your actual actions cause harm, which is why, if I can just say this, Mr Taylor, you would be well advised to just step away.
“Try and step away from this as much as you can.
It is not helping you.
It is not helping anybody else.” The TRA panel emphasised that Mr Taylor had proper safeguarding training and should have understood the dangers involved in his research.
He admitted to making a serious error in judgment, stating, “I will regret to my dying day, but at the time I felt it was valid”.
Ultimately, the panel decided to prohibit him from teaching in England indefinitely, citing a lack of insight into the consequences of his behaviour.
