Teacher banned over online sex acts with girls

A teacher who committed multiple sex offences against two teenage girls has been banned from the profession indefinitely.

John Ewan Myles, 37, was working as an English teacher at Ashby School in Leicestershire when the offences occurred.

He was jailed in December 2023 for six and a half years after pleading guilty to 19 charges and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel on 2 December found Myles had abused his position and failed in his duty of care towards a child.

Myles had been employed at the school since August 2012 and was suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation after he was arrested in April 2022 at his home in Ashburton Road, Hugglescote.

Officers found multiple electronic devices hidden under his bed, Leicestershire Police said.

The force said it received a report Myles had been engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl he met online.

She was identified and told officers Myles first contacted her online, claiming his name was Jamie Reid and he was 18.

Myles began sending sexual images of himself and officers found evidence of numerous recorded video calls in which sexual activity was carried out between the two.

Myles pleaded guilty to 12 child sex offences in relation to the first victim and six further similar offences in relation to a second victim.

Police found Myles had contacted the other teenage girl online under the same alias, telling the victim he was 17.

Myles pleaded guilty to a further charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

A report of the misconduct hearing said: "The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Myles fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

"The panel also noted that Mr Myles appeared to show a complete disregard for the safeguarding of other children who may have been impacted by his behaviour."

The report noted Myles's "significant sentence" was indicative of the seriousness of his offending.

While being sentenced at Leicester Crown Court, Myles was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.

The report added Myles had a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days from the date he was given notice of the order.

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