Teacher banned for indecent child image conviction

An empty school classroom. On the nearest white desk a blue ballpoint pen has been left on top of an open notebook.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Frederick Peppert has been banned from teaching and told he can never rejoin the profession

  • Published

A teacher has been banned from the profession after he was convicted of making indecent images of children.

Frederick Peppert had worked as a supply teacher at Vision for Education Ltd, in Middlesbrough, when he was charged with three counts of the offence.

In January 2024, he was handed a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment at Teesside Crown Court after previously pleading guilty.

Following his conviction, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has permanently banned the 67-year-old from working as a teacher and prevented him from reapplying for a licence.

The charges Peppert were convicted of related to category A - the most serious - B and C indecent images, with the crimes committed over a 10-year period, the panel said.

When making its decision it referenced Judge Adkin's sentencing remarks, which noted Peppert had received "glowing" character references.

The panel also said Peppert had offered "some limited awareness of the impact of his actions".

'No remorse'

In a letter to the TRA, Peppert said his behaviour was "unacceptable" and he regretted his "betrayal of trust with colleagues, past and present and more importantly students past and present".

"I will have to live with the consequences of my actions for the rest of my life," he said.

But the panel said Peppert had not demonstrated "any meaningful insight or remorse regarding his actions" and said it had seen no remorse in relation to the "children who were the victims of his criminal activity".

In making the decision to ban Peppert from the profession, Sarah Buxcey from the TRA, said his multiple offences "demonstrated a pattern of behaviour and indicated that there was a very serious risk of repetition".

She said the ban meant he was now "prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England".

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