Crook teacher banned over terrorist funding
- Published
The former teacher is said to have handed over thousands of pounds to suspected terrorists
A woman who supported terrorism has been banned from teaching for life.
Miriam Sebbagh, who worked at Hunwick Primary School in Crook, County Durham, was found to have given money to people she knew were involved in terrorism.
A teacher misconduct panel also heard, external she tried to radicalise a friend.
Ms Sebbagh was arrested in 2017 and investigated by police but the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges, the panel heard.
Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) "maintained a high level of concern regarding Ms Sebbagh's state of mind, the opinions which she espoused and her actions within the teaching arena", its report said.
The panel heard CTPNE had received information that Ms Sebbagh had given £2,500 to an individual linked to a proscribed terrorist organisation.
She had made "numerous" other payments to individuals, charities, overseas accounts and crowd-funded donation sites.
Jihad video
The panel heard CTPNE was concerned Ms Sebbagh was funding travel from the UK for people wanting to join ISIS or other extremist groups.
It told the Teaching Regulation Authority that some of the payments were made to people who had been investigated or arrested for suspected terrorism related offences.
The misconduct panel report said Ms Sebbagh believed violent jihad was the correct interpretation of Islamic teaching but lied about her beliefs and actions.
She claimed not to know ISIS was a terrorist organisation and not to know a video she sent to one person promoted jihad, it said.
She also claimed not to have known another individual was involved in encouraging hate against the West when she sent him money when in fact she shared his views.
Unacceptable professional conduct
Ms Sebbagh provided the panel with no formal response or evidence to be considered and did not attend the hearing.
The panel heard a court order had been made requiring her to forfeit £4,670 seized from her safe in June 2018 which she intended to donate to people she knew were involved in terrorism.
She was also ordered to pay costs of £12,654.
The teacher was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute and was prohibited from teaching indefinitely.
Hunwick Primary School headteacher Stuart Joyce said none of the allegations concerned her employment there.
She had been suspended as soon as the school was informed of the allegations and then formally dismissed in October 2018, he said.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk, external.