Teacher Banned Indefinitely for Sexual Offenses

Daniel Butterfield, 36, has been banned from teaching indefinitely after sending sexually explicit messages to a girl he believed to be 13 years old and possessing indecent images of children.

Between June and August 2018, Butterfield engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl on an online messenger app. He sent explicit images of himself and requested indecent images in return. He also arranged to meet with the girl.

However, Butterfield was unaware that he was actually communicating with a police officer. He was charged with 13 sexual offenses in October 2019 at Kingston Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty.

Butterfield was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also subjected to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender Register.

The Teaching Regulations Agency reviewed the case and announced on May 6 that Butterfield is permanently banned from teaching in schools, sixth form colleges, youth accommodation, and children's homes in England. There will be no opportunity to appeal this decision.

Butterfield was employed as an assistant head teacher at Tidemill Academy from September 1, 2013, until he resigned on July 28, 2019. He taught Year 6 English and Math classes.

A spokesperson for REAch2, the parent organization of Tidemill Academy, stated: "We can confirm that the individual in question last taught at Tidemill in July 2018. As the Metropolitan Police made clear, the offenses did not involve any children from the academy. At REAch2, we take safeguarding extremely seriously in all of our academies, and we can confirm that all safeguarding processes were followed in full when this individual was appointed. The checks revealed no recorded history of any safeguarding concerns."

The panel concluded that Butterfield's conduct fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. While acknowledging his remorse, the panel determined that the seriousness of the offenses and the public interest outweighed this consideration.

Alan Meyrick, the decision maker on behalf of the Secretary of State, stated: "The panel was not provided with sufficient information to determine whether or not the allegations took place outside the education setting, although it acknowledged that this was likely to be the case. In any event, the panel's view was that the findings of misconduct were of a serious nature, and the conduct displayed would be likely to have a negative impact on the individual's status as a teacher, potentially damaging the public perception."