Ban me from schools, says child porn teacher

A HISTORY teacher who was convicted of child pornography offences has agreed at a hearing to be struck off.

Picture: TSPL

Earlier this year, Martin Ingram, who taught at Ullapool High School in Ross-shire, was convicted of taking or permitting the taking of an indecent photograph of a child.

The 41-year-old also possessed what prosecutors described as “extreme” pornography ­involving images of a person and an animal.

At a hearing at the General Teaching Council for ­Scotland next week, Mr Ingram, of ­Atherstone, Warwickshire, will be formally banned from ­teaching with his consent.

The offences, which took place between May 2011 and March 2012, were carried out at the teacher’s home, in Ullapool, Wester Ross.

Mr Ingram, a first-time offender, escaped a jail sentence in February this year after a sheriff at Dingwall ordered a three-year community payback order.

He had pleaded guilty to ­taking, permitting to be taken or making an indecent ­photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child.

He also admitted possessing an extreme pornographic image depicting an act which involved sexual activity between a person and an animal, between September and December, 2011.

The teacher was arrested after the image of the child was ­discovered on a computer in his home, which was later seized by police.

The GTCS stated that Mr ­Ingram is no longer fit to teach following his convictions from earlier this year. On the teaching council’s charge sheet, it states he did “take or permit to be taken an indecent photograph of ­children”.

The charge adds he was “found in the possession of an extreme pornographic image”.

At the teacher’s hearing earlier this year, fiscal depute Stewart Maciver told the court police obtained a search warrant for the accused’s address as a result of intelligence they had received.

He said: “Several computers and associated data ­storage ­systems were recovered for ­subsequent searching and ­forensic examination.”

Mr Maciver said Mr Ingram was interviewed by police in Glasgow in September 2012 and accepted that he had been trying to access pornography.

Mr Maciver added: “He showed some remorse for his actions. He acknowledged that he had some problems in this ­regard and expressed himself to be ­disgusted by his conduct.”

It is understood that since being convicted of his crimes, his marriage has broken down.

He has not taught since the pornography allegations came to light. The sheriff also ordered that he should participate in a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.

He is subject to reporting ­requirements under the Sex ­Offenders Act for the three years of his ­payback order.

According to the GTCS, Mr Ingram has already agreed to be struck off from teaching, meaning he will no longer be able to teach in this country and the decision is due to be ­confirmed at a hearing in ­Edinburgh next week.