Steven Spong, 30, was sacked from Monkwick Junior School in Colchester after he was arrested in July 2022 when police found he uploaded child abuse images online
The teacher taught at Monkwick Junior School(Image: Google Maps)
A primary school teacher who searched for “Japanese schoolgirls” and “jailbait” has been dismissed after police discovered he shared indecent images and videos of children as young as six.
Steven Spong, 30, was teaching at Monkwick Junior School in Colchester when he was arrested in July 2022, following the discovery that he had uploaded child abuse images online.
He was subsequently sacked by the school in October 2022, after a police investigation into his behaviour.
Despite an investigation, police decided to take no further action against Spong as they were not found on his devices.
Instead, he was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
The misconduct hearing, held this year, revealed how police identified 16 videos and images that had been uploaded to the internet from Spong’s home IP address.
These included nine videos in category A, the most serious kind, featuring children as young as six years old.
The other uploads comprised two Category B videos, one Category B image, two Category C images and one Category C video, reports the Mirror.
Spong also admitted to searching for “Japanese teenagers” and “Japanese schoolgirls” to find pornographic images of individuals who appeared under 18 years old, along with the term “jailbait.”
Spong denied any wrongdoing during disciplinary proceedings and the police investigation but confessed to the facts in full ahead of the misconduct hearing. He also conceded that his conduct was sexually motivated.
Decision maker Marc Cavey explained: “The panel noted that, whilst the conduct took place outside the education setting, the nature of the alleged conduct relates directly to the conduct expected of those within the teaching profession and the standards which they are expected to uphold.
“Given the significance of these findings, and the fact that the behaviour concerned related to children, the panel determined that Mr Spong’s actions were clearly relevant to his teaching role and working in an education setting.
“The panel noted it was of particular significance that Mr Spong’s conduct occurred at the time he was a teacher within a primary school. It therefore determined that Mr Spong’s actions could directly impact upon his teaching role.”
The tribunal also highlighted that because Mr Spong failed to appear at the hearing and provided no documentation to the panel, members couldn’t be certain his behaviour wouldn’t happen again.
Spong has been barred from teaching permanently and cannot lodge an appeal.
AloJapan.com