Leicestershire teacher who groomed teenage girls banned

Ashby School said it fully supported the ban

A "showman" teacher who "groomed and abused" a teenage girl and touched the breasts of another has been banned from teaching indefinitely.

A teaching conduct panel heard how Nicholas Walker, a former head of music at Ashby School in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, had groomed the two girls - one aged 15 and one aged 16.

The panel found his actions were "calculated and sexually motivated".

Ashby School said it fully supported the ban.

'Terrifying'

The first allegation occurred in 2001 and 2002 before Mr Walker, 54, became a teacher, when he was a member of the Royal Marine band.

The woman making the allegations was then a teenage member of a choir, who met Mr Walker at a show.

Panel chair Roger Woods said: "At the time, she believed their relationship was special and only as she was older she appreciated she had been groomed and abused by him."

She said they met when she was 13 and described him as "huggy and complimentary".

In 2002, when she was 15, she said he picked her up in his car, drove them to an empty car park and tried to have sex with her.

She said when she refused, he engaged her in other sexual activity.

"She said this was the start of exploring her sexuality and found the experience terrifying," said Mr Woods.

'Tighter tops'

Mr Walker began working at the school - an academy for pupils aged 14-19 - in 2007 and in 2012 was made head of music.

The panel heard from a former pupil, who was 16 at the time, who said Mr Walker had hugged and kissed her on her forehead, sometimes touching her breasts and knees when they were alone.

The incidents were said to have taken place between 2010 and 2014.

She said on one occasion, having left as a pupil, she returned to school to see another teacher and he "came rushing towards her and took hold of her face with both hands and kissed her on the lips".

Mr Woods said when she questioned what he was doing, he said: "I've missed you, so you get a kiss."

The girl called him "a showman" and said he would often call her "beautiful", "gorgeous", "sexy" and use sexual innuendos around her and other pupils.

She said he also had a fascination with whether she had a boyfriend.

Mr Woods said: "He told her to be more like her friends who wore short skirts and tighter tops, especially if she wanted a boyfriend."

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In 2016 Mr Walker faced a trial for the former band member's allegations.

He was found not guilty but resigned from his job in 2017.

The panel said he had denied all the allegations and said his behaviour was "never malicious".

He said he often made comments about girls' hairstyles or clothes "to boost their confidence".

However, the panel found the allegations proved on the balance of probabilities.

It said Mr Walker's actions were "deliberate, calculated and sexually motivated".

Ben Chapman, presenting officer, said a prohibition order against Mr Walker was needed for safeguarding and "to protect pupils and other members of the public".

"There would be uproar if there was a teacher that was allowed to continue teaching after these accusations," he said.

"No parent would be happy to put their daughter in a situation where a man has findings against him such as Mr Walker has.

"These were young and innocent girls and sexually naive."

Making the decision to ban Mr Walker from teaching indefinitely, Sarah Buxcey said: "The panel found Mr Walker was responsible for the most serious degree of sexual misconduct, having abused his position as a teacher and having formed a sexual relationship with... a child."

In a statement released after the hearing, Ashby School said: "We fully support the conclusions of the report that Mr Walker should be prohibited from teaching young people in any setting ever again.

"Our thoughts are with the victims of his abusive, exploitative and totally unacceptable behaviour."