Wakefield assistant headteacher convicted of 11,500 child abuse images banned from profession
An assistant headteacher in Wakefield, convicted of possessing more than 11,500 indecent images of children, has been banned from the profession.
Gareth Mellor, 45, admitted two counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing indecent photographs for which he received a two-year suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court in December 2023.
Following a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct panel hearing last month, Mr Mellor was banned from teaching indefinitely.
The misconduct panel heard that Mr Mellor had worked as an assistant headteacher and safeguarding lead at Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield, but that none of his offending, which took place between 2014 and 2021, had involved his pupils.
The TRA report said: “The panel was not provided with anything from Mr Mellor by way of testimonials, reflection or anything which confirmed that he had completed the rehabilitation requirements of his sentence.
“The panel therefore concluded that the seriousness of the offending behaviour that led to the conviction was relevant to Mr Mellor’s ongoing suitability to teach. Given the nature and circumstances of the offences in this case, the panel considered that a finding that this conviction was for a relevant offence.
“This was necessary to reaffirm clear standards of conduct so as to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.”
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Mr Mellor had paid for indecent images of children via an encrypted cloud storage service, leading to his arrest in May 2021.
The NCA said he was found to be in possession of 520 Category A images, 619 Category B images and 10,450 Category C images.
Considering its verdict, the TRA misconduct panel added: “The panel was of the view that there was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the protection of pupils/other members of the public given that the convictions related to numerous indecent images of children.
“The panel decided that the public interest considerations outweighed the interests of Mr Mellor in this case. The gravity of the criminal offences including the duration of the offending and the volume of indecent material found was a significant factor in forming that opinion.”
As a result, Mr Mellor has been banned from teaching indefinitely and the panel ruled that due to the seriousness of the allegations, he would “not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
The ruling means he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.