CARMARTHEN TEACHER NEIL HUNT SENT 'INAPPROPRIATE' TEXTS
A Carmarthen teacher sent "inappropriate" text messages to a 16-year-old school girl while drunk, a hearing was told.Neil Hunt, 46, was dismissed after exchanging more than 350 messages with the student at Queen Elizabeth High.
Headmaster Peter Spencer told the disciplinary panel in Cardiff that the messages had a sexual overtone.
The General Teaching Council for Wales hearing was told the "effect on pupil A was profound." Mr Hunt was head of a special education unit at the 1,500-pupil comprehensive school but did not teach the girl.
The hearing was told he was dismissed after admitting to sending the messages while drunk in March 2012.
He was questioned by Dyfed-Powys Police and his employers and was initially allowed to keep his job after claiming it had been an isolated incident.
But he was dismissed when it emerged he had sent dozens of texts.
Mr Hunt admits unacceptable professional conduct by sending an inappropriately large number of text messages - some of which were inappropriate.
However, he denies acting dishonestly by failing to disclose the full extent of the messages during a disciplinary hearing.
Headmaster Mr Spencer noted: "They were not what you would expect from a pupil teacher relationship.
There were 350 text messages sent between them and a number were inappropriate." It was also revealed that pupil A’s exam grades had suffered as a result of the incident.
The hearing continues.
