3 days ago
Teacher sacked and branded 'Islamophobic' after he was reported over a Facebook post criticising Lucy Connolly's prison sentence says he has lost everything after the 'witch hunt'
A teacher who was fired after a Facebook post in which he criticised Lucy Connolly's jail sentence says he has lost everything following a 'witch hunt'.
Simon Pearson has spoken out after being branded Islamophobic following his social media message about the imprisoned wife of a former Conservative councillor.
Mr Pearson, a former employee of Preston College, was subject to an internal investigation following his comment that Connolly 'should not have been jailed' - after two Facebook contacts reported him.
Connolly, 42, was given a 31-month sentence last October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred.
She had written on social media following last summer's Southport-related riots: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.'
In his online comment, Mr Pearson described Connolly's words as 'obviously wrong', but said he believed her prison sentence was a 'two-tier policy from the top down'.
An internal investigation was launched following a complaint submitted by a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU) at the school who alleged that the post was 'Islamophobic' and 'racially discriminatory'.
Mr Pearson has said he apologised and also claimed to have provided evidence of his support for both Muslim students and asylum seekers.
Pictured: Mr Pearson's Facebook post criticising her jail term that eventually resulted in his dismissal. Preston College's investigation deemed the post a violation of its policies
He has now been speaking about the impact of the furore on him while defending his previously 'spotless' record as a teacher.
He told the Daily Mail: 'I was blindsided. Someone reported my private posts without a word to me.
'It felt like being snitched on in the dark - no conversation, no context, just condemnation.
'Twenty years of dedicated service, a spotless record, and deep care for every student - including many Muslim pupils I've supported and mentored - was wiped away.
'The accusation of "Islamophobia" became a label that no amount of truth could peel off.
'It was like living through a witch hunt. Once the accusation was made, the process felt less like an investigation and more like a verdict already written.'
The college's investigation deemed the posts a violation of its policies, damaging of professional relationships and likely to bring the college's reputation into disrepute.
Mr Pearson previously said he had been left 'appalled' by the decision, particularly given his long-standing commitment to helping support and educate students 'from all walks of life'.
He has now added: 'I spoke out about real concerns, about the Manchester Airport attack, Southport, and the Lucy Connolly case.
'These are matters of public safety and justice. If we silence the freedom to express concern and ask questions, we're in serious trouble as a society.
'I've lost my livelihood, my reputation, and my peace of mind - not because I did something wrong, but because I dared to speak.
'If a teacher with a 20-year unblemished record can be sacked for expressing valid concerns shared by millions in their own time, then none of us are safe and something has to change so that no one else has to go through what I have.'
Mr Pearso has now launched legal action at an employment tribunal, claiming wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
Lord Young of Acton, founder of the Free Speech Union, told the Daily Mail he was 'shocked' by the decision to sack Mr Pearson.
He accused the National Education Union of 'siding with the bosses rather than the workers when it comes to breaches of workplace speech codes'.
The NEU said in a statement: 'The management of Preston College reached a decision to dismiss the teacher following disciplinary procedures.
'The NEU was not directly involved in these processes and it will be for the Employment Tribunal to consider the fairness of the dismissal if and when the claim reaches a hearing.'
Preston College said: 'Upon receipt of complaints from a number of our staff, an internal investigation was undertaken into whether some of Mr Pearson's social media posts were a breach of the College's Staff Behaviour Code and Values.
'Following an investigation and subsequent disciplinary process, Mr Pearson was dismissed from his employment at the College.'
It comes after former childminder Connolly, of Northampton, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October and imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire, after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
With about 9,000 followers on X at the time, her message was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times before she deleted it around three and a half hours later.
The mother-of-one was arrested on August 6 last year, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone.
Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year, sparking nationwide unrest.
A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence, claiming that she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'.
Connolly lost an appeal in May this year to shorten her 31-month sentence despite telling the Court of Appeal in London she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise that pleading guilty would mean accepting she had.
Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag.
'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling.
'The court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice.'
The Daily Mail revealed this week how Connolly is set for release soon, with a friend sharing a post to X saying she believed the convict would be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month.
It is understood Connolly will be freed on August 21.
