Disgraced gym teacher banned from class for life after having sex with 16-year-old female student and taking indecent photos
A disgraced PE teacher has been banned for life after having sex with a 16-year-old student.
Erin Hebblewhite, now 32, groomed the student, who had never kissed anyone or had sex, and took explicit photos of them naked together in bed.
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Hebblewhite was jailed for two years in 2021 after a court learned she had pressured the teenager from Connaught School for Girls in Leyton into having sex during an illicit relationship.
A former candidate for Teacher of the Year, she was given a ten-year restraining order after admitting seven criminal charges of abusing her position to groom and sexually abuse a teenager.
Now the vile Hebblewhite will never teach again after a misconduct panel banned her from returning to the profession.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has banned her from teaching anywhere Englandand she will not be able to request reinstatement of her fitness to teach.
Decision maker Marc Cavey wrote: “In this case I have placed considerable weight on the very serious nature of Ms Hebblewhite’s offences, which involved sexual activity with a child.
“I have also taken into account the lack of evidence of insight and remorse on behalf of Ms Hebblewhite.”
He added that in his considerations he gave less weight to the “contribution that Mrs Hebblewhite has made to the profession. In my view, the imposition of a prohibition order is necessary to maintain public confidence in the profession.”
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Hebblewhite groomed the victim with flirty text messages before they began an ‘intense and passionate’ affair.
It was learned that the teacher first had sex with the girl in the toilets of a restaurant during a Valentine’s Day meal.
The teen had her first kiss with Hebblewhite, lost her virginity to the older woman and told police she felt pressured to pose for nude photos.
The relationship came to light when the girl’s family – concerned about alarming changes in her appearance and behavior – confiscated her phone and found messages from Hebblewhite.
Hebblewhite pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual activity with a child, sexual activity in the presence of a child and two charges of taking indecent photographs.
The disgraced teacher was banned from contacting the teenager for 10 years.
All allegations of sexual activity with the girl occurred the same year Hebblewhite was nominated for the teacher of the year award.
In his conclusions, Mr Cavey said: “The panel considers that Ms Hebblewhite’s conduct fell significantly below the standards expected of the profession.
“The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they involve direct sexual activity with a child, including making indecent images, which ultimately led to a prison sentence.”
Mr Cavey said Hebblewhite had shown no remorse for her actions and her offending made her “incompatible with being a teacher”.
He added: “This means that Ms Erin Hebblewhite is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and will not be allowed to teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
“Furthermore, given the seriousness of the allegations proven against her, I have determined that Ms. Hebblewhite is not entitled to apply for reinstatement of her fitness to teach.”
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