Essex teacher banned over sexual messages to boy account on Grindr

Oliver Ciaravella sent sexual messages and arranged to meet an individual who purported to be a 15-year-old boy on Grindr

A teacher who sent sexual messages to someone purporting to be a 15-year-old boy and arranged to meet up with him has been banned from the profession.

Oliver Ciaravella, 41, was suspended from his job at Honywood Community School in Essex on 21 September 2017.

The day before, he was arrested after travelling to meet the individual he had contacted on the dating app Grindr.

In May 2020 he pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

The Teaching Regulation Agency said Ciaravella was arrested after the individual who was purporting to be a boy passed the meeting arrangements on to the police.

The professional conduct panel said the offence "had taken place outside of the school setting and had not involved pupils from the school", which is in Coggeshall.

'Lack of remorse'

Ciaravella "initially sought to deny his conduct and/or made excuses during the police interview", the panel's report said.

"This included implying that there was no sexual motivation, that he did not receive a message from the individual stating that he was 15 years old and that, despite arranging to meet with the individual, he was intending to walk away."

The panel said despite later pleading guilty to the offence at Chelmsford Crown Court, the initial actions "demonstrated a lack of insight and/or remorse".

The panel recommended to the secretary of state that a prohibition order should be imposed with no review period.

On behalf of the secretary of state, Alan Meyrick supported the panel's recommendation which meant Ciaravella cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England and he cannot apply to restore his eligibility to teach.

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