Charterhouse master had sex with girl in class
A MARRIED teacher at one of Britain’s top public schools had sex with a teenage pupil in his classroom.
Dr Dean Johnson, 52, a physics master at Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey, revealed his fantasies in Facebook messages to the girl, a misconduct panel heard.
The astronomy and astrophysics specialist also asked what her underwear size was before buying stockings and presenting them to her gift-wrapped.
The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel heard Dr Johnson, who joined the £36,000-a-year boarding school in 1997, began a relationship with the girl which became sexual weeks after she turned 18.
She was still a sixth-form student and had been taught by Dr Johnson the year before. The relationship continued for nearly five years after the pupil graduated, with Dr Johnson filming some of their sexual encounters. He resigned in 2013 when the relationship came to light, and the former pupil later complained to police.
An investigation led to his conviction for possessing 22 extreme pornography videos, some of which depicted women being ‘hanged’ in play-acted sex scenes, in 2015.
Dr Johnson was given an eightmonth prison sentence suspended for two years. He has since taught abroad.
Kayleigh Brooks, presenting the disciplinary case, said: ‘Mr Johnson accepts the Facebook contact was inappropriate since they discussed topics such as sex and previous relationships.’
Miss Brooks told the panel it was Charterhouse’s belief that Dr Johnson, who was educated at Oxford and Cambridge, had shown the girl ‘inappropriate special attention’ before the relationship started.
‘Ultimately, he was the one in a position of trust,’ she added.
The panel ruled the conviction, and the relationship, meant that Dr Johnson had ‘ breached teaching standards’ and was guilty of unacceptable conduct which could bring the profession into disrepute.
Last night a Department for Education spokesman confirmed a prohibition order – banning Dr Johnson from teaching for life – had been made ahead of the panel’s full decision, which is expected to be published within the next few days.
Dr Johnson, a now-divorced father of three, told the panel: ‘There isn’t a day or waking hour where I don’t reflect on the consequences of this mistake.’ He admitted the allegations but argued that his conviction was not relevant to his fitness to teach.
Charterhouse, whose motto is ‘Because God has given, I give’, counts broadcaster David Dimbleby, Genesis founding members Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford, and Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell among its alumni.
A spokesman said: ‘ The school expects the highest standards of behaviour from its teachers.
‘When the school was first made aware of the allegations in 2013 it took the matter extremely seriously and gave the authorities every assistance during their investigations.
‘Dr Dean Johnson left the school’s employment immediately.’
Charterhouse was founded in 1611 and moved to its present 200-acre site in 1872.