Teacher who allegedly had sex with teen said ‘I only f**ked one student', inquiry told
The then-18-year-old student, who claims the teacher 'groomed' her on Snapchat before starting a sexual relationship with her
Stock image: Getty
The then-18-year-old student, who claims the teacher 'groomed' her on Snapchat before starting a sexual relationship with her, said he never showed any remorse about what happened or acknowledged any potential harm in it.
She said he had been in a 'position of power as an educator' and knew she was vulnerable when they had sex up to six times, while it was 'not my responsibility to set boundaries and repel his advances.'
The complainant, known as Ms A, concluded her evidence today in a fitness-to-teach inquiry being held by the Teaching Council. The case will be decided by an inquiry panel which retired to begin deliberations this afternoon.
The man is accused of professional misconduct and breaching the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, which he denies.
It is alleged he inappropriately added Ms A on Snapchat in October 2017 and had contact with her on the platform up to June 2018, sending her messages, pictures and memes of a sexual nature.
He allegedly had an inappropriate sexual relationship with her between March and June that year, and provided her with alcohol. It is further alleged that he touched and kissed her best friend in a pub on sixth year graduation night in May 2018, and also inappropriately contacted her on Snapchat.
Ms A last week told the hearing the teacher, 10 years her senior, worked at her school and she did not have classes with him but he gave her grinds before adding her on Snapchat.
Their messages became increasingly intimate before they began exchanging explicit photos - he would send her 'd**k pics' while she sent nude photos of herself, she said. They had sex four to six times - in her mother's bed, his car and at his apartment - she said, and he sent Snapchat messages including: 'Should f**k soon', and 'car sex later'.
Today, Ms A said when she was in college she grew 'more uncomfortable' about what had happened.
She confided in a 'trusted' college friend, Ms C, and asked her to be there when she got back in touch with the teacher on Snapchat in 2022.
'We engaged in conversation which enabled me to scroll through our chat history which (Ms C) recorded with her mobile phone,' she said.
Ms A asked the teacher about his new job at another school, and he allegedly said: 'I'm just a normal teacher now, no more recklessness.'
Ms A took this to mean inappropriate sexual relationships with students.
He told her he had 'had to get out of' where he had been teaching.
'It wasn't good for me, ha ha, good for my sex life alright, but that's it ha ha,' he said.
When she said to him he had got with so many students back in the day, he replied: 'excuse me, I only f**ked one student, ha ha.' She took this to mean herself.
Ms A said she had hoped the teacher would acknowledge that what happened was harmful to her but he did not.
'I didn't get any sense that (he) recognised even the potential risk of harm in making sexual advances on a student,' she said.
Ms C said in a statement that Ms A had been 'worried about other potential victims." It was 'playing on her mind' that she had 'brought the whole thing on herself' and Ms C told her this was not the case and the teacher was 'a freak.'
The teacher has not attended the inquiry in person and is not required to do so. In a pre-inquiry submission, he questioned the the credibility of Ms A's account, said her case was 'weak' and there was 'nothing to suggest he had anything other than an exemplary record of teaching,'
Neasa Bird BL, for the director of the Teaching Council, said the teacher had had a position of responsibility to Ms A and to act in her best interest, not to 'exploit his position."
Over a protracted period, he 'effectively steered a Leaving Cert student towards a sexual relationship' with lewd, suggestive, flirting messages before proceeding to a physical sexual relationship which he facilitated by encouraging her to consume alcohol.
'These actions were extremely grave and have evidently had a profoundly adverse effect on Ms A,' Ms Bird said. The behaviour "clearly" amounted to "disgraceful or dishonourable conduct."
While the teacher did not admit the allegations, there had been no cross examination of the witnesses so their evidence was 'uncontroverted," she said.
Solicitor Eoin McGlinchey, for the teacher, said his client was assumed to be innocent and the inquiry panel could not draw any adverse inferences from the fact that he did not give evidence.
Mr McGlinchey argued that there must be 'doubts' over the dates Ms A gave for the alleged misconduct. She initially said it took place on dates after she was a student at the school, and later changed this.
He also asked the panel to consider a 'heartfelt' letter Ms A wrote to Ms B in June 2018 when she 'specifically denied' any sexual relationship with the teacher. Mr McGlinchey said there were 'inconsistencies' in Ms A's statement which meant the allegations could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Ms Bird responded that Ms A had 'simply made a mistake' with the initial dates and the messages all had the correct date stamp in 2018, when she was still a student.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
6 hours ago
- Sunday World
Irish tourist involved in fatal collision with cyclist in Santa Ponsa
No arrests are believed to have been made with local reports stating the cyclist had rode the wrong way into the street. An Irish tourist has been involved in a death crash in a Majorcan holiday resort. The 38-year-old was at the wheel of a rental car which collided head-on with a 51-year-old German cyclist in Santa Ponsa a short drive from the party resort of Magaluf. Police spent nearly half an hour trying to save the man knocked off his bike before paramedics arrived and confirmed he was dead and nothing could be done to revive him. No arrests are believed to have been made although a local judge has opened an investigation into the accident. Santa Ponsa. Photo: Getty Unconfirmed reports said the unnamed cyclist, who lived in Majorca, had rode the wrong way into the street where the collision occurred. It happened just before 5pm on Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Ramon de Moncada Street and Bartomeu Rossello Planas Street. Initial reports described the dead man only as 'foreign' with no details given out about the driver. Today a spokesman for Calvia Council, the municipality whose local police officers were involved in attempts to save the cyclist's life, said: 'At approximately 4.40 p.m. on 31 July 2025, police were alerted to a traffic accident at the intersection of Ramon de Moncada Street and Bartomeu Rossello Planas Street in the Santa Ponsa residential area involving a car and a bicycle. 'As a result of the accident, the cyclist was lying on the road with serious injuries. 'Within minutes, several police units and 061 emergency medical services arrived at the scene. 'According to witness statements, the officers were able to verify that the car collided head-on when its driver was about to turn onto Ramon de Moncada Street from Bartomeu Rossello Planas Street. 'As a result of the impact, the cyclist suffered serious injuries and went into cardiac arrest. 'Initially, the officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for more than twenty-five minutes until the arrival of the emergency services, who certified the death of the cyclist. 'Those involved are a 38-year-old Irish driver of a rental vehicle who was on holiday in Santa Ponsa and the cyclist, a 51-year-old German resident. "The police notified the duty court and the duty coroner was dispatched to the scene.' Although local police employed by Calvia Town Hall were involved in the initial emergency response, officers from the Civil Guard force are now understood to be liaising with the investigating court. The police force could not be reached for comment today. It is not known whether the Irish tourist, who has not been named, was travelling alone in the hire car or with other people.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Two ‘professional' robbers targeting tourists in Marbella are arrested after posing as holidaymakers to burgle Brits
TWO alleged members of a "professional" robbery gang have been arrested in Marbella after raiding at least nine tourist flats. The pair nicked items worth over £550,000 while tourists were outside their homes, Spain's National Police said. Advertisement 2 The two members of a 'professional' robbery gang arrested in Marbella Credit: 2 A picturesque narrow street with blue flower pots on the walls of houses in old town Credit: Getty The force said the men disguised themselves as tourists to "blend in with their surroundings" and avoid raising suspicions while breaking into rentals. During other burglaries, they were spotted wearing masks and caps to avoid being identified on security cameras. The pair are accused of carrying out at least nine night-time robberies in the popular southern Spanish city, police said. The force added their haul could be worth over £550,000. Advertisement Read more world news Their loot includes jewellery, luxury watches, electronic devices and cash. They allegedly used a well-known technique to open doors, which involves inserting a sheet of flexible plastic between the frame and the lock's hatch. During the investigation, local police revealed that the suspects targeted tourist blocks. They would reportedly wait for tourists to leave the properties before breaking in. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Investigators said they may have used more sophisticated methods, such as "bumping" or "impressioning" - as some victims said they locked the door and found no signs of forced entry upon their return. They scoped out the properties, police said, to determine when tenants or tourists were least likely to be inside. Fans go wild as England beat Spain on penalties to win Women's Euro 2025 final Once inside the homes, the thieves took precautions to avoid leaving fingerprints or traces, police added. The two suspects have been remanded in custody, and further investigations are underway. Advertisement
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
‘They crossed the line' say locals after brazen tourists' ‘disrespectful' act caught on camera at ancient Greek site
A TOURIST has been slammed by locals for engaging in a "disrespectful" act at an ancient Greek site. The fuming resident who took a photo shaming the defiler in Naxos, Greece, said the topless holidaymaker "crossed the line". 4 A tourist has been slammed by locals for engaging in a "disrespectful" act at an ancient Greek site Credit: Facebook 4 The horror incident reportedly happened at the famous Portara Credit: Getty 4 It is a 20-foot-high marble doorway on the history-rich islet of Palatia Credit: Getty Kiriakos Jr. Boulamatsis posted an image on Facebook of a tourist lifting up an ancient chunk of marble. The horror incident reportedly happened at the famous Portara - a 20-foot-high marble doorway on the history-rich islet of Palatia. It is the last part of a temple to Apollo which had been constructed between the 6th and 7th centuries BC but was reportedly abandoned due to political upheaval. The jaw-dropping pic shows the unidentified, topless defiler lifting up the gargantuan slab of stone. read more news It appeared to have been taken from the grounds surrounding the landmark - and therefore likely invaluable. A woman is stood in front of the man holding up her phone as he poses for a pic. The photo-op caused uproar on social media, with one user dubbing the defilement "disrespectful in every way". Meanwhile another fumed: "It feels like people are becoming more stupid year after year." Most read in The US Sun And: "Naxos is increasingly becoming a Disneyland and the visitors probably have money , but no respect and decency." The concerned resident who posted the act to Facebook, Boulamatsis, felt as if the horror incident showed the lack of protection measures at the site. Monkey gang caught 'running scam' targeting tourists at sacred temple It is free to visit but lacks any formal security or ticketing. The fuming local called on Naxos authorities to station security at the site alongside other measures to ensure the site's history remains. Boulamatsis also claimed that had this happened in another country, the defiler would have been "fined and deported". He added in his caption: "Wake up before it's too late." Naxos Mayor Dimitris Lianos said the Ministry of Culture was made aware of the incident and has since deployed a guard to the gate. It remains unclear how long the security will be at the site. Lianos told "What the Municipality and the residents of the island want, and we have submitted it to the Ministry of Culture, is for an on-site restoration and promotion of this particular archaeological site. "That is, for it to be maintained and operated in an organized manner, with a ticket and security, so as to ensure its protection and generate revenue that will be attributed to Culture." 4 The Portara, one of Naxos most famous landmarks connected to Naxos (Chora) town by a causeway Credit: Alamy
