Primary school worker ‘sent nude photos to pupil’s mum’
APRIMARY school learning support worker sent naked photos to a pupil’s mother, a professional hearing was told.
Clive Beattie also allegedy told the child he was “in love with their mummy”, an Education Workforce Council (EWC) fitness to practise committee was told yesterday.
Mr Beattie, who did not attend the hearing, faces two allegations of unacceptable professional conduct while working at Ysgol Penmorfa in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.
It is alleged that in October 2017 Mr Beattie sent one or more sexual photographs to a mother of a child at the school where he worked in the knowledge she was the pupil’s mother.
It is also alleged he told the same child he loved their mother, or words to that effect, when it was inappropriate to do so. These allegations are said to be in breach of Denbighshire council’s social media policy, as well as the council’s employment policy and professional boundaries.
It is also alleged these actions were sexually motivated. The panel viewed Mr Beattie’s absence as a denial of the allegations.
Bruce Knight, an investigations officer at Denbighshire council, told the panel he was appointed to investigate the incident by the school’s then headteacher, Catherine McNamara.
Referring to a conversation he had with Mr Beattie while investigating the incident, Mr Knight said: “He stated Person A [mother of the child at school] made the first contact with him by sending him a friend request on Facebook.”
Mr Knight explained that Mr Beattie told him that there was no contact until Person A sent him a message on his birthday saying ‘Happy Birthday’ with two kisses and a smiley face.
“Clive Beattie commented that he thought Person A was very attractive and posted on his Facebook, ‘Oh Clive if only’. Then Person A sent him a private message saying, ‘Hello, how are you?’”
Mr Beattie told Mr Knight the two shared messages before Person A sent him a photo of herself wearing underwear and said: “It’s your turn now.”
Mr Beattie confirmed to Mr Knight that he sent three pictures to Person A in which he was naked from the waist down and had an erection.
However, Mr Beattie denied to Mr Knight encouraging the woman’s child to draw a picture of her – an allegation made by the child’s father – and he also denied saying to the child that he loved the child’s mother. He also denied knowing the child to Mr Knight.
The witness said although he did not have direct access to Mr Beattie’s social media account, the primary school worker had provided him with hard copies of the images he claimed to have sent.
Mrs McNamara, who was headteacher of Ysgol Penmorfa at the time of the alleged incidents, told the panel Mr Beattie had been employed as a learning support worker at the school since 2010.
She confirmed Mr Beattie had worked in the same classroom as Person A’s child. Mrs McNamara said she became aware of the allegations when visited by Person A’s husband – Person B – and father.
They explained that Person A was vulnerable and in the weeks following the alleged incidents being reported Person A was hospitalised, the hearing was told.
Mrs McNamara added: “The messages were on Person B’s phone and I was shown this by Person B. Both images of him [Beattie] were in front of a mirror naked. You could not see his full face but could see it was Mr Beattie.
“The messages appeared to show Clive Beattie telling Person A she was the love of his life. Person A responded quite coy by comparison.”
She said the behaviour “definitely overstepped the professional boundaries”.
EWC presenting officer Patrick Llewelyn said despite repeated attempts to contact Mr Beattie and Person B to provide evidence, stretching over several months from the beginning of 2020 to June, no contact was successfully made.
The hearing continues.