TEACHER STRUCK OFF AFTER SEX ROMP
She spent night in hotel with pupil Hearing rejects ‘drink spiked’ claim
A former Whitburn Academy teacher has been struck off after being found to have spent the night with a 17-year-old pupil after the school prom.
French teacher Isabelle Graham, who is now married, was found to have repeatedly engaged in sexual activity with the boy at a Travelodge in Edinburgh.
Ms Graham, 28, had denied the accusations after a picture emerged on social media of her in bed with a pupil standing nearby in a hotel room.
She claimed her drink had been spiked and that she couldn’t remember the events.
But at a hearing of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) on Tuesday, her claims were dismissed.
TheThe scandal scandal blew up after the prom night in June 2014.
The picture showed a blonde woman in bed and the boy standing by the door with a bottle in his hand.
Police launched an investigation but no criminal charges were brought against Ms Graham who later resigned as a teacher at the school.
The hearing was told of how
pupils were left uncomfortable and shocked by Ms Graham’s actions.
On Ms Graham’s claims that her drink had been spiked, DS Keith Mailer, who investigated the incident for Police Scotland, was called to the hearing as a witness.
He reviewed CCTV footage and told of how there had been no evidence that Ms Graham was under the excessive influence of drugs or alcohol. Ms Graham, who has now moved away from Scotland, failed to appear for any part of the hearing and didn’t appear by video link.
But in a written submission she claimed she was a practising Christian and had waited until marriage before having sex.
Despite that, she was judged unfit to teach and barred from the profession by a three-person GTCS disciplinary panel.
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Ms Graham is no longer employed by West Lothian Council.”
The allegations levelled against Ms Graham in full read: “On June 5 or June 6, 2014 or overnight, whilst employed as a teacher at Whitburn Academy and following the school’s sixth-year prom you did accompany Pupil A and other pupils to the Travelodge, where you did have inappropriate contact with Pupil A.
“You did spend approximately three hours alone with Pupil A in a hotel room, share an alcoholic drink with Pupil A ( age 17 at the time), share a bed with Pupil A and repeatedly engage in sexual activity with Pupil A.
“And in light of the above, it is alleged that your fitness to teach is impaired.”