Teacher banned indefinitely for having sex in art classroom
The school was contacted by a third party on June 26, 2024, who informed school authorities that Ms Beamish had been engaging in sexual intercourse during school hours.
They were also shown screenshots of messages sent between the two teachers.
The messages were sexual in nature and had been sent during the working day.
During an investigatory meeting, Ms Beamish admitted having sex on school premises, and confirmed messages on WhatsApp showed the two organising their liaisons.
Couple of years – multiple occasions
When asked on how many occasions had this happened, she replied: 'Couple of years – multiple occasions.'
Ms Beamish also responded that the couple had engaged in sexual intercourse in the 'art room, and two art cupboards, both doors locked, downstairs door locked as well'.
She was referred to the UK's Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
The TRA panel examining the case concluded that Ms Beamish's behaviour had been 'sexually motivated' and had fallen 'very far short of the standard of behaviour' required in the teaching profession.
It was also found that she had shown 'limited evidence of insight and/or remorse'.
The report concluded: 'For these reasons, the panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Beamish amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
'Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Ms Beamish was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.'
She has now been banned from teaching indefinitely in any educational institution, but can apply for the prohibition order to be removed in two years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Man who supplied Irish crime gangs with weapons and ammo faces 14 years in jail
Before the Special Criminal Court today was Mark McCourt (34) The boss of a gun-running ring that supplied weapons and ammunition smuggled by air from America to criminal organisations could face up to 14 years in jail, a court has heard. Before the Special Criminal Court today was Mark McCourt (34), of Edenrieve, Newry, Co Down, who previously pleaded guilty to firearms offences and participating in a criminal organisation's efforts to import restricted weapons. Counsel for the State, Simon Matthews BL said that the Director of Public Prosecutions had placed the offending at the higher end of the scale, which carries a sentence of ten to 14 years. Mark McCourt and the seized weapons News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 31 The matter has gone back to November 3 next for sentencing, with the accused remanded in custody. When McCourt appeared before the Special Criminal Court earlier this week, a senior garda said in evidence to the three-judge court that he was 'fully satisfied' that there was a criminal organisation in existence under the 'control and direction' of McCourt 'whose function was the importation of firearms components from the USA to Ireland, and the reassembly of these restricted firearms for onward distribution to other criminal organisations'. Seized weapons Det Insp McCartan said McCourt had already been identified in connection with the suspected importation of firearms when the defendant was arrested for something else on 24 May 2024 and had his phone seized. Gardaí were able to extract data from the phone shedding light on the activities of the smuggling ring in the preceding year, along with conversations with prospective customers in messages on Signal, WhatsApp and Snapchat, the witness said. Det Insp McCartan said McCourt and his co-accused both flew to Las Vegas, Nevada on three occasions in April and May 2023. The witness told the court that in one text message, McCourt told one prospective customer -- who used the alias 'The Keeler' – that '€75k cash is [the] best price' for a number of firearms, adding: 'I'll throw in the 10 pipes for free.' Det Insp McCartan said: 'It's my belief that refers to pipe bombs.' He told the court the defendant has some 42 previous convictions including assault causing harm, theft, and dangerous driving 'on the high end'.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
PSNI officer dismissed for sending racist, sectarian, and antisemitic WhatsApp messages
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago A PSNI OFFICER has been dismissed for sending WhatsApp messages which contained material that was sectarian, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, misogynistic and sexualised. A complainant contacted Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman when the officer continued to send the material, despite having been asked to stop on two occasions. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. Nikki Davis, Director of Investigations with the Police Ombudsman's Office, said that a digital analysis of the officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, 'which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers'. Davis said that this was not a 'one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgement'. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics,' said Davis. She added that some of the messages 'combined sexual, racist and sectarian references' which moved it 'into the realm of online gender-based hate speech'. 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women, is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls,' said Davis. She added that that case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be 'robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account'. Advertisement Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act. The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department and after a special hearing held by the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, the officer was dismissed. The officer was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics and was deemed to have acted 'in a way that is likely to bring discredit upon the Police Service'. He also breached equality and integrity articles within the PSNI's code of ethics. Meanwhile, eight officers who received the messages were referred to the PSNI for potential breaches of the code of ethics for failing to report or challenge them. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the 'robust actions show that we will not tolerate this damaging and unprofessional behaviour – there is no excuse'. He said the 'messages repeatedly shared by this former constable were shocking, wholly inappropriate and discriminatory'. He added that officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were subject to management action. He added that a further three officers were dismissed without notice in recent months in similar circumstances following 'wholly inappropriate material being shared amongst groups'. 'If the public is to have confidence that we will police without prejudice and fairly, it is essential that just as we pursue perpetrators in our communities, we are as committed to rooting out those that may be in our own ranks,' said Boutcher. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish police officer dismissed for sending racist & sexualised WhatsApp messages
A police officer in Northern Ireland has been sacked after sending 'highly inappropriate and offensive' messages via WhatsApp. The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers. 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech. 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
