Classroom ban for Wigan high school teacher found with indecent images of children

Samuel Johnston-Cree was employed as a geography teacher and Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator at Standish High School from September 1, 2017.

The 31-year-old was described as a “very ambitious, enthusiastic and good teacher” who got involved with different charity events at the school.

But a professional conduct panel meeting convened by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) heard he was arrested on July 7, 2021 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

Investigation meetings into his conduct were held at Standish High in March 2022 and Mr Johnston-Cree was dismissed.

He did not attend and was not represented at the TRA’s professional conduct panel meeting, which considered whether he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by having indecent images and sending inappropriate correspondence to a pupil.

The meeting heard Mr Johnston-Cree said in an email to the TRA and in a police interview that he possessed indecent images of children via the Kik messenger app.

He also admitted viewing indecent videos of children received on Kik, but denied sending them to anyone else.

The panel also heard evidence he possessed extreme pornography involving animals.

Allegations that he carried out internet searches using certain phrases and that he distributed indecent images were not found to have been proved.

The panel found his conduct was sexually motivated, with “no other reasonable rational explanation” for him to have indecent images.

Mr Johnston-Cree was also found to have communicated “inappropriately” with a pupil by email between March 2020 and June 2021.

The panel found the tone was “overfamiliar” and school policy was for email correspondence during the pandemic to only relate to setting work and giving feedback.

The panel found Mr Johnston-Cree was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The report said: “In the light of the panel’s findings, there was no evidence that Mr Johnston-Cree’s actions were not deliberate and in fact the panel had evidence in the bundle (from Mr Johnston-Cree police interview) of Mr Johnston-Cree’s admission that he had carried out deliberate searches for ‘jailbait’.

"The panel had found Mr Johnston-Cree to have acted in a sexually motivated way in possessing and viewing indecent images of children and other extreme pornography.

"The panel acknowledged that Mr Johnston-Cree said that he had an addiction to pornography and that he was seeking help for this addiction. There was no evidence in mitigation in respect of any treatment sought or the impact this may have had on Mr Johnston-Cree.”

The panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that he should be banned from teaching indefinitely.

Afterwards, a statement from Standish High said: “The school was informed of serious allegations against Mr Johnston-Cree in July 2021. He was suspended with immediate effect, not permitted to return to the school site and following a thorough investigation was dismissed from Standish Community High School.

“Following his dismissal, the school referred Mr Johnston-Cree to the Teaching Regulation Agency. The health, safety and well-being of our students is paramount and we condemn any misconduct and inappropriate behaviour. We follow strict and robust safeguarding measures and are supportive of the outcome which reflects the seriousness of the allegations found proved.”