Somerset music teacher banned after sex with pupil

Mr Butterworth-Smith's former school said it was "shocked that a member of our staff should have abused his position of trust in this way"

A 30-year-old music teacher who twice had sex with a pupil has been banned from the profession indefinitely.

James Butterworth-Smith was advised about a year earlier of maintaining professional boundaries when the same pupil was seen leaving his flat.

A panel said on Wednesday it accepted he "genuinely regrets" his actions that took place on school property.

But it said he showed a lack of "complete insight" and that it could not rule out him doing it again.

Mr Butterworth-Smith taught at a school in Somerset and admitted communicating with the pupil by text message from his personal mobile phone.

He had been contacting her to arrange a private lesson.

Via text message he later invited the pupil into his flat on the school premises, before then having sex with her over the course of two days.

In a ruling published on Monday The Teaching Regulation Agency panel found his case was "aggravated" because he was in a position of trust and had been reminded of maintaining professional boundaries with pupils earlier.

The panel considered that what took place was sex between consenting adults and while the girl was on the school roll at the time of their sexual encounter, she had left the school and was no longer being taught by Mr Butterworth-Smith.

His former school said: "We were shocked that a member of our staff should have abused his position of trust in this way.

"We take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously and it was immediately referred to the police and other relevant authorities.

"We had no hesitation in dismissing the individual concerned for such completely unacceptable behaviour."