2 days ago
Primary school teacher had sick videos of kids and searched 'Japanese schoolgirls'
Steven Spong, 30, had been teaching at Monkwick Junior School in Colchester up until October 2022, when he was sacked following a police investigation into his conduct
A primary school teacher who searched for "Japanese schoolgirls" and "jailbait" has been sacked after police discovered he shared indecent images and videos of kids as young as six.
Steven Spong, 30, had been teaching at Monkwick Junior School in Colchester when he was arrested in July, 2022, after authorities found he uploaded child abuse images online. In October 2022, he was fired by the school following a police investigation into his conduct.
Following an investigation, police decided to take no further action against Spong because they were not found on his devices. Instead, he was referred to Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
The misconduct hearing, which was held this year, heard how police identified 16 videos and images that had been uploaded to the internet from Spong's home IP address. They included nine videos in category A, the most serious kind. Some of the children in the images were as young as six years old.
The other uploads included two Category B videos, one Category B image, two Category C images and one Category C video.
Spong also confessed to searching for "Japanese teenagers" and "Japanese schoolgirls" to find pornographic images of people that looked under 18-years-old, along with the term "jailbait."
Spong denied any wrongdoing during disciplinary proceedings and the police investigation but admitted the facts in full ahead of the misconduct hearing. He also admitted that his conduct was sexually motivated.
Decision maker Marc Cavey said: "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 panel added because Mr Spong did not attend the hearing and did not supply any documents to the panel, members could not be sure his conduct would not be repeated.
Spong was banned from the teaching profession indefinitely and will not be able to appeal. He will never return to the classroom.
