TEACHER CONVICTED OF CHILD ABUSE IMAGES, BANNED FROM TEACHING
Matthew Walker, a teacher employed at Stokesley School near Middlesbrough, has been found guilty of downloading and sharing child abuse images via peer-to-peer software.He claimed that the images were already stored on a hard-drive he had purchased, asserting he had bought the images and videos already present.
Walker admitted to possessing three counts of indecent images and was sentenced to a 12-month jail term, which was suspended.
He was subsequently banned from teaching in England by the Teaching Regulation Agency.
As part of his court sentence, Walker was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and received a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.
The police investigation revealed that he had nearly 150 photos and videos, most of which were categorized as the most serious.
Walker, who qualified as a teacher in 2018, was arrested in February 2019, just a month after starting work as a cover supervisor and temporary art teacher at Stokesley School.
He was dismissed shortly after his arrest.
During police interviews, Walker explained he had used the deep web to buy computer parts for mining Bitcoin, and attempted to delete evidence using specialist software.
He stated he did not have a sexual interest in children and claimed he was not a danger, although he showed limited insight and no remorse.
The disciplinary panel found that he breached teaching standards and concluded his behavior was incompatible with a teaching role, highlighting the seriousness of the images involved.
The ruling prohibited him indefinitely from teaching or working in any environment involving children in England.
